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Happy Feet, Happy Planner: Shoe Picks from the Event Frontlines

“A Meeting Planners International (MPI) community thread on footwear sparked widespread advice from event planners who spend long days on their feet. Vionic emerged as the most recommended brand across flats, loafers, sneakers, and ankle boots. Other favorites for dress-appropriate comfort include Dr. Scholl’s Wexley Jane flats, Dansko Fawna and Colette styles, Cole Haan GrandPro sneakers, Wolf & Shepherd, Rothy’s, and Aerosoles. Sneakers from Hoka, Salomon, Ryka, and Merrell are now considered acceptable with business attire. One travel manager recommended evaluating “cost per wear” rather than price alone, and DUOYANGJIASHA loafers were named as a budget-friendly option. For men, Cole Haan ZeroGrand and GrandPro, Ecco, and Clarks were top picks, with Allbirds or Hoka sneakers for site visits and load-in.”

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Planning Events with Confidence in 2026

“Event professionals navigated a volatile 2025 shaped by tariffs, supply chain issues, and travel policy changes. GBTA’s October 2025 Outlook Poll shows rising optimism in business travel, up from 28% to 43% between June and October 2025. Conference Planning Services outlines three strategies for 2026: (1) design modular, flexible event formats with adaptable venue contracts and decentralized regional hubs; (2) build attendee trust through transparent refund, safety, and accessibility policies with clear cost breakdowns; and (3) turn disruption into innovation using AI-driven personalization, bleisure travel support, and wellness programming.”

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Essential Event Spaces You Might Be Forgetting

“Beyond the main event space, several supporting rooms are easy to forget when reserving a venue but make a real difference for attendees and staff. Conference Planning Services recommends requesting: a private lactation room (not a bathroom stall) built into the RFP or contracting phase; a wellness or quiet room for decompression; a green room for speakers to prep before sessions; 1:1 meeting rooms for private conversations; a weather back-up space for outdoor events; a sponsor or exhibitor lounge; secure storage space for swag, signage, and AV equipment; a planner’s office as a command center; and a staff or volunteer break room. If venue space is limited, rooms can be multi-purposed by time-blocking, such as converting a green room into a wellness lounge during off-hours, or using privacy panels and pipe and drape to carve out space within larger areas.”

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