For years, “simple” meetings often went unnoticed and undermanaged. But with the renewed interest in face-to-face gatherings, the focus has shifted to making these events – regardless of size – more exciting, efficient and effective. 

A report issued by Cvent forecasts events in 2026 will be defined by “intentionality” with AI becoming operational, trust harder to earn, and outcomes that matter “more than ever.” The report, entitled 2026 Trends, notes that audiences will be more selective than in the past – choosing experiences that feel “relevant and worth their time.”

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, famously advised that a small meeting should only include as many people as two pizzas can feed – about five to seven attendees. In his view, a meeting of that size helps to promote more productive discussions and reduces the risk of “groupthink.” Sage advice, but most meetings professionals share a more expansive view.

“I like the spirit of the two-pizza rule,” says Kate Hammitt, vice president of marketing at Cvent. “But when I think about small meetings, it’s less about a headcount number and more as a growth system, depending on the type of customer. A small meeting for a particular customer could be up to 200 people. The headcount often depends on the matrix of the organization, and segmentations from that perspective. Whether it’s a six-person customer round table or a 12-person room or a 200-person meeting, they’re all small if they can be focused, designed and measured.”

Hammitt says Cvent’s philosophy is to treat small meetings as a part of a total event program and “not just where it often lies as background noise for organizations that have a lot of small meetings, but not as planned and branded and implemented in the same way as a larger event.” 

However, she stresses, small meetings should have the same amount of rigor. “They’re planned, they’re branded, and have a tighter scope and faster cycles, so as a marketer, you need to be good at getting those repeatable programs measured.” Hammitt points out the benefits of measured implementation, including using events and meetings to drive organizational growth, as well as pipeline and revenue support.

HRS director of global media relations Michael Brophy, says in his company’s work with a broad spectrum of clients on multiple continents, the definition of a small meeting is fluid. “HRS sees the range for a defined small meeting as ranging from 30 to 75 individuals,” Brophy says. “Some companies expand the range downward to 15 and up to 100. So, this definition can vary from vertical market to vertical market.”

As Shauna Whitehead, senior vice president, commercial strategy of BCD Meetings and Events, explains, “A small meeting typically involves a limited number of participants, is not complex in requirements, and typically has a spend cap.“ For in-person meetings and events, she says BCD M&E defines the baseline for in-person meetings and events as “gatherings with fewer than 50 attendees, less than $25K in total spend, and the sourcing and contracting of a hotel or venue that includes basic F&B and AV needs.” 

From that starting point, she continues, “We then help clients tailor decisions based on their specific goals, risk tolerance, efficiency needs and desired attendee experience. More often than not, these are internal meetings and do not include external participants. Tiering or profiling for a specific company is essential to being able to maximize opportunities in this space.”

Small meetings, she explains, can be “in-person, virtual or hybrid,” with the decision dependent on the company’s “purpose and goals for the specific type of meeting, participant type and locations and budget.”

How Many, How Often? 

Since simple meetings are less complicated, they may be more frequent; but here too, different requirements and/or different vertical markets determine the strategy. “Recurrence can vary not only across company sizes and vertical markets, but also where a company may be in its sales and fiscal cycles,” Brophy says. Companies that are also launching training initiatives, either singularly or in partnership integrations among employee groups clustered in regional hubs, “can have varying rhythms of recurrence from year to year,” he adds.

Claudia Kusche, MICE practice lead consultant for Areka Consulting, says there is no set frequency for small meetings because they are generally arranged on an as-needed basis, “driven by specific topics, objectives, or decision-making requirements” to address specific business requirements or objectives.

“In practice, a small meeting is generally understood as involving no more than ten participants attending in person, since meetings exceeding this number often require group hotel contracts for overnight stays and increased organizational complexity,” she says.

Small meetings may be conducted either in person or in a hybrid format, Kusche notes. However, the determining factor for whether a meeting is classified as small is the number of participants who are attending in person. “As long as no more than ten attendees are present on site, the meeting is considered a small meeting, regardless of any additional virtual participants.”

Whitehead points out that the function of a meeting dictates its frequency. Some meetings are regular standing sessions, while others are scheduled as needs arise. Managing either scenario requires streamlined tools, cost controls and venue sourcing to simplify logistics which can save money on bulk or series sourcing, “where in-person sourcing and contracting is required.” She says BCD also works with clients to package or profile certain types of meetings, making it a more “turnkey and efficient” experience for meeting bookers.

“They may occur quarterly, monthly or more frequently depending on type of meeting and organizational needs. Many companies have both recurring small meetings and ad-hoc sessions tied to immediate project needs or strategic opportunities,” says Whitehead.

Rules & Guidelines 

Now that small meetings are gaining a higher profile and recognized as needing the same relative level of consideration as larger-scale events, strategic meetings management principles apply to help small meetings of all stripes achieve their stated objectives. 

Among the rules and guidelines most often mentioned by meetings planning professionals:

• The 40/20/40 Rule: Allocating 40 percent of the effort to preparation, 20 percent to the meeting itself, and 40 percent to following up.

• The 4 ‘Ps’ Framework: Focusing on Purpose (objective), Product (outcome), People (essential participants), and Process (agenda).

• Operational Streamlining: Large organizations are increasingly improving communication efficiency by eliminating unnecessary management layers and ensuring every meeting has a clear leader and goal.

Whitehead explains that the 40/20/40 rule provides a valuable framework. “Allocating 40 percent to preparation ensures clarity of objectives, readiness of materials, and clear preparation to enable maximum impact in the actual meeting component; 20 percent to execution keeps the meeting concise and focused, action oriented and valuable time spent for participants; and 40 percent to follow-up drives accountability, action and measurable outcomes.” The appropriate focus on each phase – pre-planning, logistics and execution – enables the meeting host to focus on content, preparation and follow up, she says.

“I haven’t actually seen the 40/20/40 rule in in some time,” says Hammitt,   “but I like the principle more than the exact mask. I think for high stakes small meetings, the front and backend work should absolutely outweigh the lifetime.   I think it’s a good principle because oftentimes I think event teams are struggling. Some are doing 80/20. They’re spending a lot of time to plan the event, a lot of time at the event, and then forget the follow-up.” 

The outcome of the event, she says, is the most important piece of the event, especially from a “pipeline retention and/or engagement perspective.” 

In December, Cvent announced its acquisition of Goldcast, an AI-powered video content platform to enhance its event management and marketing capabilities. It touts “enabling marketers to turn every event into a ‘content engine’ that fuels long-term engagement and pipeline growth.”

Kusche of Areka Consulting agrees that the 40/20/40 rule provides a strong framework for effective meetings, emphasizing that preparation and follow up are as important – “if not more so” – than the meeting itself. “This approach helps ensure clarity of purpose, efficient use of time, and meaningful outcomes,” she suggests.

Regarding the 4 Ps Framework, Kusche says the rule is a “highly effective and practical approach to planning and conducting meetings.” She explains that by clearly defining the Purpose, Product, People and Process, “the 4 Ps framework encourages clarity upfront by establishing why the meeting is needed and what it is expected to deliver. It also supports disciplined participant selection, ensuring that only those essential to achieving the objective are involved. Finally, a defined process or agenda provides structure, keeps discussions on track, and maximizes the effective use of time.”

Especially for small meetings, the 4 Ps Framework helps avoid unnecessary complexity, reduces wasted effort, and increases the likelihood that meetings lead to clear decisions and actionable results, Kusche says. “It helps ensure that meetings are focused, efficient and outcome driven.”

The Right People 

At the risk of stating the obvious, no meeting can take place without a leader or facilitator. Equally, a meeting or event is not very meaningful without attendees. So, that begs the question: Who leads and who’s invited?

“Responsibility for leading a small meeting usually lies with the business owner or project lead,” says Kusche. “Attendees are carefully selected based on relevance, ensuring that only those necessary for the discussion or decision are present, in line with the small meeting definition.”

Whitehead says leaders of meetings are typically “department heads, training groups, project managers or executives, with attendees being core team members, stakeholders or clients directly involved in decision-making or project execution. Typically, many customer or VIP meetings or events aren’t termed ‘small’ or ‘simple,’ even if the number of attendees is not large.” Moreover, she says, these kinds of participants usually require an “extra level of attention or planning.”

Once the framework of a meetings strategy is planned and laid out – lead speaker, attendee invite list, objectives and expected outcomes – choosing an outside venue requires additional planning. 

Brophy advises that companies that can effectively forecast their volume, location options and specific on-property meeting requirements have the best chance to secure small-meetings inventory and space at competitive rates.

“It’s worth noting that with the increasingly prevalent use of AI in the meetings procurement process, the RFP scenario is now both more expedient and more precise,” Brophy says. “This gives planners more options to make decisions about where and when to stage small meetings in somewhat shorter advance time windows than were required even just two to three years ago.”