Event Technology Should Work in the Background. Power Is Where It Starts
Hilton's 2026 survey of 3,150 event attendees found they want to look productive, need real downtime, and expect technology to stay out of the way. All three depend on whether their devices are charged.
"Technology now works quietly in the background."
Hilton, Why We Gather 2026 Trends Report
Hilton's Why We Gather report, part of its 2026 Trends Report, asked 3,150 adults in the US, UK and India who attend in-person work events what they want from them. Ipsos ran the survey in November 2025. Three findings matter for anyone who runs meeting and event space:
- Attendees want to look productive. 83% are highly conscious of looking productive during meetings and structured programming.
- Downtime is not optional. 67% feel less engaged without it, and 55% will skip sessions to decompress if breaks are not built in.
- Technology should stay out of sight. The report describes technology working quietly in the background.
Each of these happens on a phone or a laptop, and none of it works on a dead battery.
Where the outlets are decides how the room is used
Meeting space is set and reset all day. A ballroom becomes a general session, then a banquet. A boardroom becomes three breakouts. The wall outlets stay where they were installed, so planners run extension cords across walkways or tape power strips to the carpet.
Downtime runs into the same limit. The quiet corner where an attendee wants to decompress is rarely where the outlets are. They end up on the floor by the wall, or back in the session with a phone at 5%.
Hilton's point is that technology should stay in the background. Power is the most basic part of that, and the easiest to leave out of the room plan.
What portable power changes for hotels
Battery power lets meeting and public space follow the room set, not the wall:
- Power goes where the set needs it. An Omni Power Station 20C+ 7-Bay or 30C+ charges a full set of power banks from one wall outlet. Banks go to tables, lounges and registration desks, with no cords across the floor.
- Room turns get faster. Changing a ballroom from classroom to banquet does not change where power can be. Banks go back on the station between sessions.
- Guests help themselves. With Power-as-a-Service, guests check out a power bank from a station with their phone, so there is nothing for staff to hand out or track.
Attendees will work, rest and connect wherever the event takes them. A hotel that keeps every one of those spaces powered gives them one less thing to think about. See how other organisations deploy it in our case studies.
An industry perspective, not a partnership
This article is Omnicharge's commentary on published industry material. Omnicharge is not affiliated with, partnered with or endorsed by Hilton or Ipsos.
Quoted excerpts remain the property of their authors and are used with attribution. Photos on this page are Omnicharge's own.
Planning meeting or guest spaces?
Tell us about the property and we will suggest a station setup for it. Visit us at The Hospitality Show in Miami Beach through November 4, booth 2418.
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