A look at how one of the most successful agencies is reimagining its role in the industry.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

November 12, 2026   |   Read online How a 56-Year-Old Meetings Agency Is Shifting in the Age of AI A look at how one of the most successful agencies is reimagining its role in the industry.   David McMillin, Skift Meetings Head of Content November 12th, 2026 Every business leader should be asking how their model has to change as AI accelerates. In the meetings industry, the question feels much harder to answer, because the whole value proposition rests on human connection. Today’s edition of The Stand-Up looks at how one of the industry’s most successful agencies is answering it. Barbara Scofidio digs into why Creative Group is putting everything it does under a microscope, and how the company is protecting its legacy while embracing the future. Read the full story below, along with a look at the predatory conference playbook and why a DMC is opting for the indie route in the age of consolidation. — David McMillin       COMING UP NEXT WEEK What’s ahead for incentive programs next year? Join some of the experts from Skift Meetings’ M&I 15 to hear how they are balancing budget pressures with rising attendee expectations. REGISTER HERE             FEATURED STORIES India and Africa Are the Event Industry’s Next Growth Markets. Can Venues Keep Up? By Andrea Doyle India's exhibition market is projected to grow nearly four times as fast as the global average through 2030, while Africa is gaining momentum. But venue shortages and infrastructure gaps could constrain expansion in both markets. GET THE STORY Terramar Bucks the Trend and Goes Independent. Will Other DMCs Follow? By Barbara Scofidio Many DMCs are independently owned but fewer and fewer operate independently of a network. It’s that distinction that Terramar will use to differentiate itself. GET THE STORY Is AI Reading Your Proposal Before the Client Does? By Barbara Scofidio Creative Group’s rebuild around data and design shows where agencies are heading, and what AI-first clients will be expecting from them. GET THE STORY Three Keynote Invitations in 81 Minutes: Inside the Predatory Conference Playbook By Andrea Doyle Questionable conference invitations can be difficult to distinguish from legitimate speaking opportunities. For event organizers, the consequences extend beyond misleading solicitations to undermining trust in legitimate conferences. GET THE STORY             Can a Destination Be Both Low-Risk and High-Engagement? BESydney + Skift Meetings Global conflicts have disrupted a planner’s ability to organize international meetings. Sydney is emerging as a place removed from many of those tensions, yet well connected for attendees flying in from around the world. LEARN MORE             NEW REPORT ON THE GLOBAL MEETING LANDSCAPE How are your peers thinking about risk in the destination selection process? What’s next for entry policies and fees? Which regions are making the biggest infrastructure bets for the future? Find out in a new report from Skift Meetings designed to help you get a sense of the future of the global meetings landscape. This report was sponsored by Destination Toronto and Ottawa Tourism. GET THE REPORT             SKIFT PICK: TRANSLATING TRAVEL TRENDS FOR MEETINGS United Just Told the Robots to Stay Out. Will Everyone Else Follow? United Airlines said Wednesday it will block third-party personal AI agents from booking on its own website and app, and through online travel agencies and aggregators. The same day, MCR Hotels CEO Tyler Morse said he wants to ban AI agents from booking his hotels, too. The catch: He admitted he can’t figure out how, and Skift found only 10 of 50 major travel brand sites even mention AI crawlers in their robots.txt files. Expect more suppliers to try. But don’t expect airtight walls. Suppliers aren’t really fighting the technology. They’re fighting the loss of control over the customer, the upsell, and the margin. That’s good news for the group model, which has always been what Delta CEO Ed Bastian calls a “known agent” arrangement. You negotiate for hundreds of people, and the supplier knows exactly who it’s dealing with. The risk shows up when an attendee’s personal assistant (one that never gets tired of comparing rates) slips past the walls and starts shopping around your block. Ask your hotels now how bookings made by attendee AI tools will count toward pickup. And make sure your block rate holds up against what a very rational robot can find on its own.             The Skift Meetings Toolkit All the tools you need for successful meetings and events, all gathered in one place. LEARN MORE             Thanks for being a regular reader. We are switching to a new email platform. Why? This change will allow for better delivery, and more engaging newsletters. Please take a moment to add this new email address to your contacts to ensure you continue receiving your newsletters without interruption. During this transition, these emails might land in your promotions or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss out, please move this newsletter to your primary inbox.         DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Skift 35 W 31st St. New York, New York 10001, United States

Following up: Skift Research for $2,495 (November only)

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Hi there,   I wanted to follow up on our recent email about Skift Research's latest generational studies, and make sure you saw that we're offering a Skift Research & Skift Pro bundle for $2,495 this month only.    In case you missed it, the research shows why "older" and "younger" travelers aren't useful categories anymore: 60% of baby boomers would take fewer leisure trips if finances tighten, despite holding more accessible wealth than any other generation. 65% of Gen X say caring for an aging relative affects their ability to travel. 25% of Gen Z business travelers want full or shared control over AI-assisted booking.   A subscription gets you these reports plus our full library of research, data and analysis across the travel industry. The $2,495 rate is only available through November 30.    SUBSCRIBE & SAVE   If you have any questions or want to talk through, simply reply to this email. I'm happy to help!   Best,    Alexx Mattox Senior Manager, Subscriber Lifecycle Marketing Skift, 35 W 31st St., Frnt 1, New York, NY 10001, USA Manage preferences