Donna Johnson believes meeting professionals often place too much emphasis on return on investment (ROI, the bottom lines/numbers) and not return on emotion (ROE, qualitative, emotional results).
“So how do we get back to balancing ROI with ROE to be able to make sure that we’re resonating with each attendee and giving them something that they want so that they feel seen, heard, energized and innovative by coming to our events?” says Johnson, CEM-AP, CMP, vice president of strategic business operations for MCI USA.
I spoke with Johnson following her session, “Event Design for Multigenerational ROI: Engaging Every Age with Maximum Impact” (sponsored by IAEE) on Smart Monday, powered by MPI, the day before IMEX America 2025 officially kicked off in Las Vegas.
At MCI USA, Johnson oversees organizational efficiency and business operations while staying informed on meeting and event industry trends. She manages global hotel partnerships, mitigates legal risks and, as a self-described “news junkie,” avidly researches to share cutting-edge insights. Passionate about learning, she educates others at events like Smart Monday and learns from attendees, earning her IAEE’s 2023 Ball Dallmeyer Educator of the Year award.
Johnson says knowing that events aren’t one-size-fits-all, there are some perhaps overlooked public spaces that could serve as inspiration if planners pay attention.
“If you walk around a mall or an airport, there are things that we as event planners can bring to a trade show while also making them different and innovative—and you don’t need a ton of money,” she says. “At the mall, you can go to a Nordstrom or a Macy’s and maybe get everything that you need—particular stores that resonate with what you’re looking for. That’s what we need to do as event organizers: understand that certain people want bite-sized content. Think how successful TED Talks are—you have 17 minutes to get your message across. You have to understand who’s coming to your event and what will resonate with them, and it’s more about emotion than the bottom line.”
Essential skills
When asked what skills meeting professionals should focus on to succeed in the current uncertain and quickly evolving meetings landscape, Johnson points to one that’s relatively new yet quickly has become seemingly omnipresent, AI, and one classic that never goes out of style, networking.
“You need to learn everything about the different AI offerings available and understand how you’re going to leverage AI and make yourself more efficient so you can focus on strategy and growing your attendance across multi-generations,” she says. “We can offload the mundane tactical tasks to AI, and event organizers will be able to focus on strategic initiatives that will grow their events.”
Networking skills are as critical as ever because connections will likely become even more vital for success in the meeting industry, according to Johnson. Gen Z is deleting social media apps and craving more face-to-face interaction. We need to connect young professional attendees with legacy leaders and develop mentoring programs so every generation can learn from each other.
“You need to be able to call up someone and say, ‘What are you doing at your show?’ or ‘I saw this on LinkedIn, talk to me about it,’” she says. “Because in this industry, we’re very lucky that people do like to share and do like to talk and tell others about what’s working and what’s not.”
Looking ahead
Going forward, meeting professionals will need to better define their responsibilities and the rules they operate under to successfully progress in the industry, according to Johnson, who notes that in the trade show industry, logistics is only part of the equation.
“Data and analytics are becoming critical for operations and logistics professionals, a role once left to marketers,” she explains.
With in-person events driving complex, data-rich environments, leveraging AI to analyze historical spending, benchmark competitor rates and optimizing negotiations is transforming how we deliver value, according to Johnson.
“AI empowers us to harness comprehensive data—five years of spend insights at your fingertips will enable us to secure better rates and elevate the impact of live events,” she adds, emphasizing the growing synergy between technology and the dynamic face-to-face experiences that define the industry.
