Big interview
“We have tried to anticipate the
situation as much as possible in recent
months. It has been very important to
have a clear idea of the path forward and
by maximising the efficiency of our
business operations we have minimised
and managed the costs as much as we
could.
“Through webinars our exhibition
teams have also seized the opportunity
to stay in touch with various markets.
Webinars and online updates are also
the way we have been keeping in
constant contact with our own staff.
“We opened our doors again on 1
July and are hosting two trial events
with the 1.5 metre regulations in place.”
The COO says he has several teams
working on the reopening and
underlines that the venue’s corona
protocol follows from the protocol that
has been co-created with the wider
event industry.
He describes the past few months as
“an unreal situation” with employees
working at home as much as possible.
“Only a few colleagues, from security,
maintenance and cleaning were at work
in the RAI buildings during the most
part of the pandemic,” he says.
To the question of what kind of
support the RAI has had from owners,
government and industry stakeholders,
Van der Sluis answers: “We are eligible
for an arrangement from the Dutch
government (NOW) to be able to pay
salaries of the fixed and flex contracts
and we have been talking to the banks
in case this situation will take longer
[to play out].”
The COO adds that, for the time
being, no big investments are being
made at the RAI due to the situation
around Covid-19 and future plans have
been put on hold.
In terms of cancellations and
postponements, Van der Sluis says it has
been a huge challenge for our Planning
and Sales teams.
“For our own exhibition teams, we
fine-tune all possibilities for relocation,
taking into account the best slots for the
markets they are in. We also do this for
our other customers. It really is a
complex puzzle”.
Van der Sluis points out that RAI has
been very busy using online tools to
share information via webinars, and
video conferencing. “Through this,
customers are able to keep in touch with
their communities locally and
worldwide all year round,” he says. “The
live/physical meeting remains an
indispensable part of our business and,
despite all the online possibilities to
connect with each other, this is missed
enormously by many people.
“In future, virtual connections will be
an extension of all business models and
should therefore be regarded as an
enrichment, not a threat. Certainly, in
the next few years we expect to be able
to facilitate and organise more and more
hybrid forms of events.
“Our own titles like Intertraffic,
Greentech, Interclean and Aquatech
have been using webinars quite
successfully. Intertraffic, for instance,
welcomed more than 700 visitors from
more than 100 countries and 80% of
those in attendance gave us a rating of
7/10 or higher.
“We have also been organising
webinars with our partners in China.
“Internally, we have also run many
Above: RAI ready
for action
virtual events.”
As far as impacts and trends expected
in the coming months, Van der Sluis
says his team is looking further ahead
and asking itself questions, such as:
‘What if events are allowed to be
organised again but cannot yet be
visited by everyone, due to limitations in
time, money or other reasons (such as
travel restrictions)?’ and ‘How do we let
people at home or office enjoy what is
going on in the event hall and how can
they participate all the same?’
“We are also focussing on the long
term,” he says, “and asking what will
definitely change; which behavioural
changes can and must we respond to, in
order to keep the RAI relevant and
future-proof?”
As well as his role as COO at RAI
Amsterdam, Maurits van der Sluis is
also head of the European Major
Exhibition Centres Association
(EMECA), where he has been leading
demands for event venues to be allowed
to reopen from 1 September.
“We now see convention centres
opening up again across Europe. The
lobby in European countries helps with
this and of course with the lobby in
their own country,” he says.
“Government should recognise the
economic spin-off for industry. Fairs
and congresses make an important
contribution to the recovery of the
economy.”
Van der Sluis believes the corona
crisis helped the events industry
associations to raise their profile and
become more effective at the art of
political lobbying.
“In recent months there has been
good co-operation between associations,
such as UFI, EMECA, ICCA and
SISO,” he notes.
“We have made the world aware of
the importance of our industry and its
impact on the world. The associations
have certainly made a major
contribution. We stand united. The
awareness is now very visible. Normally
we take it for granted.”
ISSUE 107 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 21