Ancillary revenue at hotels is big business. Some of the largest revenue generators at a hotel’ s disposal are meetings and events, creating and curating group experiences for companies and their attendees. Behind them is the technology that drives them— that’ s where event producer Encore comes in, a partner of choice for more than 2,100 hotels and venues worldwide. From audio and visual to lighting and internet, Encore delivers full event production needs. Mike Stengel, SVP of strategic partnerships and venue relations at Encore, helps make sure everything goes off without a hitch. Here, he outlines the trendlines fueling the sector, including AI employment, the way Encore delivers through highly instructive training and how creating the“ wow” moment is really what it’ s all about. |
HOTELS: What are hotels looking for today in an event technology and production partner, and how is Encore designed to meet those expectations? Stengel: Venues today expect more than audiovisual support— they want creative, strategic partners who share their hospitality mindset and who can deliver exceptional results. We’ re seeing increased demand for partnerships that offer innovative solutions, consistent outcomes and outstanding service that reinforces the hotel’ s brand experience. Encore is very fortunate to partner with hotels across the globe, and it’ s the combination of our local expertise and extensive resources that allow us to execute superior events for our venue customers.
HOTELS: Hotels often cite the challenge of balancing
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operational efficiency with delivering high-impact group experiences. How does Encore help hotels achieve both? Stengel: When Encore is the in-house production partner, achieving this balance is the foundation of the value we provide. Our team adapts to hotel operations by learning and utilizing in-house protocols, planning tools and communication platforms. Encore acts as an extension of the venue team, amplifying the hotel’ s high standards while integrating immersive design, the latest technologies and data-driven insights into each event. We like to say,“ we’ ve got events down to a science,” because we’ re deeply committed to striking this balance effectively.
HOTELS: With group demand evolving, planners expect highly specialized support. How does Encore
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train and prepare its teams to deliver award-winning, hospitality-driven service in hotels? Stengel: Our strength rests in the depth of talent of our team. Consistently giving our team members opportunities to learn, grow and thrive is the key to our ability to deliver the highest quality service and support to planners and hotel partners. We heavily invest in structured training certifications through Encore University, our global learning platform specializing in hospitality education and technical skill development. We also provide access to advanced professional development programs like our Technician Acceleration Program( TAP) and our Women in Audio Visual Events( WAVE) program that mentors, trains and supports women in audiovisual and event production careers. To cultivate an expansive understanding of luxury service expectations, we |
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54 hotelsmag. com Jan / Feb 2026 |