How curiosity is reshaping event planning and procurement

Introduction

Table of Contents

The business events sector is undergoing a structural shift as large organizations bring greater discipline, data, and procurement oversight to their meetings and event programs. The professional journey of longtime planner Karen Heslin, who has transitioned into a procurement-focused role, illustrates how curiosity, continuous learning, and cross-functional collaboration are becoming essential skills for event leaders navigating this change.

Background or industry context

For many years, event planning and procurement operated largely in parallel. Planners focused on attendee experience, content design, and logistics, while procurement teams managed contracts, supplier negotiations, and corporate compliance. As event budgets have grown and hybrid formats have expanded the technology stack, organizations are now under pressure to treat events as a strategic investment rather than a discretionary expense.

This shift has led to more formalized strategic meetings management programs (SMMPs), centralized vendor frameworks, and greater scrutiny of technology platforms used for registration, virtual participation, and data capture. Event technology decisions increasingly intersect with corporate procurement standards around data security, integration, and long-term value. Professionals who understand both the experiential side of events and the commercial realities of procurement are therefore in higher demand.

At the same time, corporate stakeholders expect measurable outcomes from meetings and events, whether those are sales pipeline growth, partner engagement, or internal alignment. Capturing and analyzing these outcomes requires a coordinated approach across planning, finance, IT, and procurement teams, with event technology at the center of that collaboration.

Key developments or announcement

Against this backdrop, event specialist Karen Heslin has moved from a traditional planning role into a position more closely aligned with procurement and strategic sourcing. Her experience, highlighted by Skift Meetings, underscores a broader industry trend: professionals who once focused primarily on operational event delivery are now taking on responsibilities that span policy, governance, and supplier strategy.

Heslin’s path demonstrates how asking critical questions about process, technology, and outcomes can open new avenues for event professionals. Rather than viewing procurement as a barrier, she has approached it as another dimension of event strategy. This includes evaluating how contracts are structured, how technology platforms are selected, and how supplier relationships can be optimized to support both cost management and attendee experience.

Her transition also reflects the growing involvement of event practitioners in enterprise-level decision-making. Planners who understand venue negotiations, risk management, and technology evaluation are increasingly participating in RFP design, vendor scoring, and long-term category planning. This expanded remit blurs the traditional boundaries between event operations and procurement, creating hybrid roles that require both domain knowledge and commercial fluency.

Industry impact

The move of experienced planners like Heslin into procurement-aligned functions is influencing how organizations structure their events ecosystem. Several key impacts are emerging:

More integrated sourcing processes: Event categories such as venues, audiovisual, production, and event technology are being evaluated together rather than in isolation. Input from former planners helps procurement teams understand operational nuances and attendee needs, leading to more realistic service levels and contract terms.
Stronger focus on data and measurement: As event professionals become involved in procurement decisions, they are pushing for tools and platforms that capture richer data on attendee behavior, engagement, and business impact. This data shapes negotiations with suppliers and informs multi-year agreements.
Closer collaboration with IT and security: The selection of registration systems, mobile apps, and virtual platforms now often triggers reviews by IT and security teams. Practitioners who can translate event requirements into technical and compliance language help accelerate approvals and reduce risk.
Greater emphasis on standardization: Organizations are beginning to rationalize overlapping tools and supplier relationships. Planners working in procurement roles can identify where local preferences can be maintained and where standardization on platforms or partners brings efficiency.
Expanded skill sets for event leaders: The industry is recognizing that contract literacy, data analysis, and stakeholder management are just as important as logistics expertise. Professionals who, like Heslin, continually ask questions and seek to understand the “why” behind business decisions are better positioned to adapt.

These developments are changing the profile of event leadership roles, with many job descriptions now explicitly referencing procurement collaboration, technology strategy, and performance measurement as core responsibilities.

Why this matters for event professionals and technology providers

For event professionals, Heslin’s trajectory highlights the importance of viewing their work through a broader organizational lens. Understanding procurement priorities—such as total cost of ownership, risk mitigation, and supplier performance—can help planners secure internal support for their strategies. It also opens the door to more strategic conversations about event portfolios, including which events to prioritize and how to align them with corporate objectives.

Practitioners who are willing to ask questions about how decisions are made, how data is used, and how contracts are structured can identify gaps and opportunities that may not be visible from an execution-only perspective. This mindset supports career progression into roles that influence policy, budgets, and long-term vendor partnerships.

For technology providers, the blending of planning and procurement roles has direct implications for sales and product development. Vendors are now engaging with buying committees that include event managers, procurement specialists, IT security, and sometimes HR or sales leadership. Each stakeholder brings different criteria, from user experience and feature sets to integration capabilities and compliance requirements.

Providers that can clearly demonstrate value across these dimensions—through transparent pricing models, robust analytics, and strong security practices—are more likely to succeed in competitive RFP processes. Additionally, suppliers that can support both planners and procurement teams with education, documentation, and implementation guidance will be better positioned to build long-term relationships.

As organizations consolidate their event tech stacks, platforms that can address multiple use cases (in-person, virtual, and hybrid) and integrate with CRM, marketing automation, and HR systems will gain an advantage. The ability to surface clean, actionable data that procurement and finance teams can use for reporting and forecasting is becoming a key differentiator.

Conclusion

Karen Heslin’s move from hands-on event planning into a more procurement-oriented role reflects a wider realignment in the meetings and events industry. The line between designing experiences and managing commercial frameworks is increasingly blurred, and professionals who embrace continuous learning are at the forefront of this evolution.

For organizations, empowering event leaders to collaborate closely with procurement, IT, and finance can drive more coherent strategies and better outcomes from event investments. For individuals, cultivating curiosity about process, data, and governance opens paths into more influential positions.

As event programs grow more complex and technology-driven, the sector is likely to see more hybrid roles like Heslin’s emerge—roles that depend not only on operational expertise, but also on the willingness to keep asking questions and connecting the dots between experience, cost, and long-term value.