WHAT EVENTPROF
Independent research conducted by corporate event manager Juliet Tripp reveals what eventprofs expect from industry events
uliet Tripp ’ s day job is as events manager at Chemical Watch , but she is also an active advocate for the industry . Throughout January this year , Tripp conducted a piece of research , garnering responses from 70 international eventprofs .
The 25-page document will be made available on Conference News ’ website , but for the purpose of this issue , we have pulled out some interesting topline revelations .
According to the report , 48.3 % of eventprofs mainly attend local industry events , whereas the remaining 51.7 % say the usually attend international industry events . The majority of survey participants attend industry events as a planner / buyer ( 43.3 %) with suppliers at a close second at 35 %. Hosted buyers formed 13.3 % of the responses , with a small percentage of predominantly speakers and students participating , too .
Why eventprofs attend industry events According to the research , the majority of respondents focus on one key area when asked why they attend industry events : the people . “ We are an industry rooted deep in connections ; bringing people together to celebrate , educate , inspire , launch , reflect and discover ,”
Tripp notes in her commentary . “ It ’ s what we do , and it ’ s why so many of us are in this industry in the first place .”
Building relationships and networking are cited as top priorities , with the majority of respondents citing ‘ networking in person ’ alongside ‘ making connections with people from our industry ’ absolutely top of the list .
Strategy was also high on the list . Building on the ‘ relationships ’ responses , comments such as ‘ meeting people to build long-term strategic responses ’ and ‘ to make decisions ’ stood out . Tripp notes : “ Industry events are opportunities for attendees to enter with an idea and leave with a firm decision . It could be on a venue , a future employee , supplier , or technology software . The events we attend are platforms for decisions to be formed and cemented , and we , as attendees , are the decision makers .”
Strategic industry events should give potential attendees a clear reason to sign up .
Support network On the subject of networking , a clear message from respondents was that eventprofs are looking for more networking or ‘ free ’ time to explore show floors , without the constraints of an overly structured programme or a day packed full of appointments .
“ Maybe the virtual and hybrid models lend themselves more to a more balanced programme , but when we do return to live , this absolutely needs to be considered ,” Tripp notes in her commentary . “ Breaks and buffer time are so important , and it ’ s often in these moments of passing that we make some of the most genuine and exciting connections , bumping into
International Confex at the ExCeL London in February 2020 . Photo : Aniseed Photo
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