IBTM ’ s Trends watching brief
WE PRESENT AN EDITED SECTION OF IBTM WORLD ’ S TRENDS WATCH REPORT 2022 WHICH COLLATED KEY STUDIES ON THE MEETINGS AND EVENTS INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE OVER 2021
C orporate Events ‘ Ensuring the sustainability of events ’ has risen to become the key challenge corporate organisers are looking to tackle between now and 2024 , according to the 2021 ICE Annual Benchmarking Research Report . ICE , which stands for ‘ In-house Corporate Events ’, is a UK-based organisation that works closely with event organisers around the world .
Within the ICE report , ‘ green ’ objectives lead the way with 77 % of respondents scoring ‘ ensuring sustainability ’ ahead of any other priority . The second most popular response was ‘ the ability to deliver hybrid events ’ ( 73 %), with the research representing both the anxiety and opportunity of creating hybrid events . The third most pressing objective for the corporate market over the next few years was ‘ educating internal audiences on when live / hybrid formats should be adopted ’ ( 53 %).
The ICE report also underlined the importance of measurement to event organisers in achieving sustainability goals . Most planners reported that their organisations have already established CSR goals , however ‘ measurement ’ ( 40 %) remains critical to ensuring these objectives . Across the research , organisers prioritised the ‘ tracking of CO2 emissions ’ as a key metric for live events , behind ‘ electricity consumption ’, ‘ distance travelled by visitors and organisers ’, and ‘ sustainability of catering ’.
In the meantime , delivering more virtual / hybrid events also remains a key challenge for planners . Now individuals have more experience delivering technological events , challenges have moved to the volume being delivered and to optimising the experience .
However , as well as the immediate challenges the industry faces , ICE continues to show its concern around a lack of a clear ‘ home ’ for event planners within the organisational structures . The report highlighted the issue ; 50 % of respondents saw the natural place of events within the marketing division , however the remainder were spread across over 15 different company departments .
The research also underlined the growing challenges to event professionals ’ well-being and effectiveness , with 14 different skills identified as being important to the role , up from 10 in last year ’ s report . These included working with stakeholders ( 31 %), multi-tasking ( 30 %) and project
Below : Author of the IBTM Trends Watch report Alistair Turner management ( 50 %). Converting events to digital ( 67 %) and understanding technology ( 69 %) were both predictably strong new inclusions in the growing demands for event professionals
Association Conferences For the 60th Annual Congress in October 2021 , the International Congress and Convention Association ( ICCA ) implemented a hub-and-spoke event model that featured a Congress host in Cartagena , Colombia , and five Congress Hub locations worldwide . Delegates could also participate on a virtual platform and flexible registration allowed people to change their registration type without an additional fee .
For ICCA , this model resulted in a record number of Congress attendees during the pandemic , while creating a more sustainable footprint . The association believes the model will continue to be replicated by larger associations that have the financial and personnel capabilities to make it viable . This financial viability is a major
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