The RFP is out. The client wants an insider’s take on a destination you’ve never personally sourced. They want assurance on service levels, venue quirks, and “what it really feels like” on site.
Google isn’t cutting it.
AI has no emotional recall.
And you’re not about to gamble your reputation on a glossy brochure.
You need real insight from someone who’s been there, booked that, and knows which ballroom AV crew saved the day… or nearly burned down.
In the new era of event planning, the smartest planners aren’t hoarding knowledge. They’re swapping it, doing it fast, often, and across company lines.
John MacMullen, Senior Director of Business Development at Benchmark Resorts & Hotels by Pyramid Global Hospitality, has seen this shift play out across the industry. And he’s got strong opinions about what’s no longer optional in the planner playbook.
It’s not just a trend. It’s survival of the most networked.
The Old Game: Compete or Be Left Behind
Once upon a pre-COVID time, planners approached every hotel and venue like enemy territory.
“I think that’s probably a hangover from when they were all group salespeople originally,” MacMullen explains, “and any other hotel was a competitor.”
But that cutthroat approach doesn’t hold water anymore.
Not in today’s environment where planners juggle global venues, tight timelines, and clients who expect insider-level expertise at every turn.
“Any meeting planner that says they know all the hotel products that they’re selling… that’s not possible,” MacMullen says bluntly. “It’d be like saying a travel agent knows every hotel in the world.”
No one’s omniscient. And pretending to be is a fast track to burnout, or worse, botched events.
COVID Permanently Changed the Rules
When the events industry got punched in the throat by the pandemic, the survivors weren’t just lucky. They were plugged in.
“Anyone that survived that kind of event and is still in business as a meeting planner, they did that through a high level of collaboration and networking,” says MacMullen.
Planners who ghosted their network or clung to old-school competition didn’t make it through. Those who picked up the phone, asked colleagues for help, and swapped intel? They’re thriving.
“There’s strength in numbers,” he adds. “Even on the meeting planning side, you have to be able to collaborate with other experts in the industry.”
AI Can’t Answer These Questions
Yes, tech has changed the game, but not in the way you think. AI might get you a venue list, but it can’t tell you if the banquet staff ghosted the bride or if the conference AV team saved the day after a power outage.
“It is very easy nowadays to rely on something like AI… however, AI cannot answer the questions of how was the caliber of service… what was the flavor of service?” MacMullen points out.
That kind of nuance lives in conversations between real planners, not chatbots or search engines. Want to know if a venue ghosted their last client or crushed a 1,000-person gala? You’d better have someone who’s been there.
Collaboration Is Your Competitive Advantage
Today’s clients expect you to be the local expert, even if you’ve never set foot in that city.
That’s where your planner posse comes in.
“They’re expecting you to be the expert on that location, what that location can provide,” says MacMullen. “The only way that works… is through collaborations.”
And not just with your internal team. He means asking your so-called competitors if they’ve used the property. Calling up another agency, swapping notes, and turning rivals into resources.
“In fact, as a salesperson selling these hotels,” he says, “I absolutely invite our meeting planners to seek knowledge and opinions about our hotels from other meeting planners that have done business with us. That’s how we build a reputation in the industry.”
No secrecy. No gatekeeping. Just better events, built together.
Proof It Works: A Parking Lot Deal Turns Into 12 Events
Need a real-world example? MacMullen shares a story that captures this spirit perfectly.
During a destination experience at Chaminade Resort in Santa Cruz, California, a meeting planner he invited ran into a colleague in the parking lot, a planner working on events around the World Cup.
“Within four days, they were in communication on a regular basis and are now collaborating on over a dozen events next year into 2027,” MacMullen says.
That wasn’t a strategy call or a planned meeting. It was a chance encounter between two planners who knew the value of pooling resources.
“That’s really the spirit of collaboration in our industry.”
Stop Competing. Start Connecting.
The best planners today aren’t hoarding contacts or pretending they’ve got every destination dialed.
They’re asking better questions, texting their industry contacts, and leaning on a network that makes them smarter and their events smoother.
So next time you think about protecting your “intel,” ask yourself: What’s really more valuable … being the smartest person in the room, or having a dozen smart people on speed dial?
The answer should be obvious.
