of requirements of what they expect convention centres to deliver when it comes to sustainability . However , the momentum created by the pledge made at COP26 – to make organised events carbon neutral by 2050 – already pushed convention centres across the globe to create clear roadmaps , with some of them being far more ambitious .
From 0 to 100
AIPC CEO SVEN BOSSU SHARES SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE ASSOCIATION ’ S RECENT SALES AND MARKETING SUMMIT
W e had our association Sales and Marketing Summit in Frankfurt , just before IMEX , and what a joy it was . Over 50 participants , from 42 organisations and 25 countries reconnected , shared experiences from the last two years and , most importantly , discussed the opportunities and challenges lying ahead . Here ’ s my overview of the key take-aways .
Back in business , but lack of staff Everybody in the room agreed that we went from 0 to 100 when it comes to organised events . The speed of recovery is truly breathtaking and there is a real struggle throughout the full value chain to deliver the service levels required . The key element is the shortage of staff . As one convention centre CEO put it : “ the staff simply disappeared .” Figures from the US labour office indicated that in January alone , 4.3m people quit their jobs , with the biggest fall-out in the leisure and hospitality area . The silver lining however is that people are looking for jobs with purpose , challenges and learning opportunities – and there is no sector better placed than the events industry to offer that .
Sustainability remains high on the agenda Sustainability remains high on the agenda of policy makers and investors . Discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos showed that sustainability – especially the ecological element – has become business . When it comes to the event industry , global players like Informa ( their head of sustainability , Ben Wielgus , was one of our speakers ) are rolling out a clear set
Above : Sven Bossu , CEO of global venue association AIPC
Technology : where to invest Eighty percent of the AIPC members say they will continue to make considerable investments in technology . The recent ABBA concerts in London – 400,000 tickets sold to see a performance by avatars – demonstrates the potential , also from a commercial point of view . The key question is : what to invest in ? The post-Covid consolidation is still ongoing and the technology offered continues to evolve at warp speed . And then there is the Metaverse : while nobody actually knows what it is , there seems to be a consensus it will have an impact on the event industry , especially when it concerns professional education .
At the same time , there is also an increasing concern about cyber security . Up to 64 % of global leaders at the World Economic Forum expected they will experience a disruptive event within the next year , and there is no reason to think that convention centres will not be impacted . That is why AIPC recently organised a webinar on the topic and will have it included in the agenda of the Annual Conference ( 3-6 July , Budapest ).
In a nutshell The great news is obviously that organised events are thriving again and that people are eager to attend face-to-face meetings . At the same time , there is uncertainty and there is the obvious challenge of staff shortages . But if the past two years have showed one thing , it is that our industry is resilient and agile and will find ways to deliver the service excellence our customers expect .
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