Meeting planners are seeing their role influenced more and more by technology, not just for the meeting itself, but in researching and booking venues, how planners interact onsite, and how they communicate following the meeting. "The balance between technology and in-person relationships is an interesting one, with a need to attain a balance of the two in order to plan and deliver successful meeting outcomes," says Mark Cooper, CEO of the International Association of Conference Centres , a global association that serves the meetings industry.