come before you with a confession : I am technology agnostic . Ok , that ’ s not a very exciting confession at all , perhaps it borders on dull . But it is a fact . When the DVLA announced in 2014 that it was going to do away with paper tax discs in cars , I took to the internet ( ironically ) to express what some described at the time as ‘ irrational dismay ’. Why do away with them ? They worked ; paper tax discs were a cheap and easy way to visibly prove your car was taxed . They were replaced with a ‘ computer system ’, which meant only an ANPR camera or bored police officer could then spot a tax fraud . It seemed – and remains – an utterly ridiculous and needlessly expensive way of ensuring cars are taxed . And , for the record , it hasn ’ t worked . Car tax evasion is at record highs (£ 94m outstanding , by the way ).
It ’ s like that myth from the hay day of the Space Race in the 1960s . The USA spent billions on a ball point pen that would work in zero-gravity space , while the USSR simply used a pencil . I am really not a fan of tech for tech ’ s sake . The conference and meetings industry has had a funny relationship with technology over the years . Before the pandemic , printed spreadsheets were still a common sight ( yes yes , I know they are made on a computer ), but they did the job for no real cost . Or did they ? We didn ’ t know we needed smartphones until they came along , and now the thought of not having one is almost inconceivable . The last year has forced the industry to look at how technology can improve the overall event experience , not just for the delegate , but for the user too . All of a sudden , the widespread technophobia that held many of us back has been almost eradicated and now event managers will likely be more comfortable shopping around for the right product . As such , we have dedicated this issue of Conference News to reviewing some of these event technology products , which begins on p11 .
As our economy undergoes its long-awaited reboot , the events industry too must do the same .
Enjoy the issue , which was made entirely with technology .
Martin Fullard Editor Conference News www . conference-news . co . uk