LEADERSHIP
experience , and more about the outcome ”, meaning events will benefit from clear focus on deliverables . “ For tradeshows , for instance , there will be a focus on the trade function , and of deals being closed . For events that focus on connecting people and thoughts , this will be the key asset participants will look for .”
And with the pandemic having accelerated developments in events and conferences that were seen pre-2020 , Hattendorf predicts we will see increasing regionalisation from one global show into a portfolio of regional shows under the same brand worldwide , more digital products and services to support the attendees at the physical event , and a lot of investments into sustainability and low carbon to carbonneutral events productions .
“ A new emphasis will be put on connecting the physical trade shows and business events with year-long offers to support the business success of the communities that a trade show is serving ,” says Hattendorf , adding that while a lot of this will be digital , it will also be through focused local and regional events throughout the year .
Digital rising With the pandemic having turned the industry from physical-only to digital-only overnight , everyone from organisers to venues have had to up their digital ante to deliver virtually and compete in what is predicted to be a hybrid future .
And APAC leads the way according to UFI ’ s Global Barometer with 67 % of venues / organisers having added digital services / products to their existing exhibition offerings during the pandemic compared to the 58 % global average , with Australia , South Korea , Thailand , Malaysia and Singapore having been especially prolific on the digital front .
Having welcomed the rise of digital technologies , Singapore-based Shah believes that in an increasingly digital world , “ our sector needs to learn to complement and enhance attendee access to connectivity and insight by combining the physical and digital ”.
Shah adds : “ As we prepare to run more in-person events , digital gives us excellent pre-event connectivity to prepare businesses to do business at the event and after . We can see a big acceleration in the deployment and utilisation of deep tech technologies like AI , Automation and Machine learning for our sector . Industry players who will be at the forefront of embracing this pivot will make themselves future relevant and therefore successful . Beyond that we see operators investing greater monies in team capability building and the addition of diverse digital skill sets in the operating models .”
Venues are already investing in integrated hybrid studio capabilities to cater to what is likely to be a hybrid events industry future with 75 % of organisers / venues predicting a definite or probable push towards hybrid events and more digital elements at events in the future .
44 October 2021