escribe the key themes of this year ’ s conference . This year ’ s event is all about helping our attendees overcome current challenges and prepare for the future . If you take a look at the agenda , you ’ ll see some recurring themes and phrases , like ‘ new normal ’, ‘ virtual and hybrid meetings ’, and ‘ what ’ s next ?’ These are absolutely reflective of where we all are as an industry . Event organisers and hoteliers are looking for insights and best practices on how to adapt , evolve , and accelerate their road to recovery – and we ’ ve built the entire two-day conference around that need .

How do you see virtual / hybrid events and business recovery ? In my opening keynote , I ’ ll be talking a lot about the role virtual and hybrid events will play in our industry ’ s recovery because they ’ ll be a critical part of making our industry stronger and better than before . Technology has allowed us to continue meeting and connecting virtually – often in record numbers – giving organisations a way to keep their businesses running in the middle of a pandemic . When you combine the value virtual events offer with the in-person experience for a hybrid event , you ’ re looking at nearly unlimited event potential . A smart mix of in-person , virtual , and hybrid events is our future –

and there is so much opportunity .

How can the industry unite and adapt , evolve and accelerate business recovery ? Industry professionals and industry groups have done a good job covering those first two . When the pandemic really started impacting the MICE space , it took very little time for our industry to come together not just for support , but more importantly , for idea-sharing on how to pivot and adjust .

Event organisers are , and always have been , professional adaptors . The challenge now for the industry will be how to permanently evolve to accelerate our recovery .

One of the drivers for this recovery is embracing technology . The industry has historically been somewhat resistant to adopting technology on a broader scale , but the pandemic has forced all of us to adapt our practices , evolve our mindset , and adopt technology to drive our businesses forward – and as long as we continue to do that , we will not just recover , but thrive post-pandemic .

What does digital transformation mean for 2021 ? The phrase ‘ Digital transformation ’ has been used quite a bit over the last couple of years , but it is no longer just a buzzword – it ’ s our reality . Technology has become the new medium for our industry to drive the human connection and it is revolutionising the way we interact with one another . And , as the world recovers , delegate expectations will have changed . They ’ ll want to experience events on their terms – while event organisers will need to tie together data from their in-person events , virtual events , and hybrid events to understand attendee actions , buying

Below , left : Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal

Cvent CONNECT Europe Virtual 2020 takes place 10-11 November 2020 .

preferences , and overall event ROI . None of this would be possible without digital transformation – which is why we have several sessions across the two-day conference dedicated to helping organisers and hoteliers making technology work for their business needs and not against them .

We understand your keynote address will discuss the Golden Age of events / hospitality in 2021 . What does this mean ? The Golden Age of events is a time where events become an even more critical part of the business landscape . The pandemic has shown just how resilient our industry is because people have pivoted and events are still happening , just in a virtual environment . It has opened up a whole new way for people to connect and we ’ ve seen in most cases that event attendance has gone up . We also learned that face-to-face meetings are more important than we ever imagined . Humans are social beings and businesses need that emotional connection with their customers and employees in order to grow and succeed . The silver lining is that from now on organisations will never underestimate the positive impact events have on their business .

With virtual , in-person , and hybrid events now making up the total event landscape , event organisers have more options to gain greater ROI from their Golden Age of events . There ’ s no doubt that the future of events is more valuable than ever .