45 Show review |
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PHOTOS BY JONATHAN ‘ JT ’ TAYLOR , ANISEED PHOTO |
Those at the show floor showed engagement with the talks and exhibitors , with interactive stands proving popular among the attendees . Many of the exhibitors and attendees highlighted how the overall experience was the key appeal of the event .
Zoe Davies , local sales and marketing executive , TOCA Social , said : “ It [ International Confex ] is one of those places where there is so much going on , there ’ s so much potential to look for the new fun thing to do , which is exactly why we are here .” Shaun Hinds , chief executive , Manchester Central , said : “ There ’ s a huge amount of eagerness from everyone on-site . Clearly this is a pivotal event for everybody , partly because of the industry coming back , but I think also visitors are enjoying the experience of being out and about , getting on the DLR , coming to ExCeL London and seeing the boulevard .”
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Leading the way With topics ranging from COP26 and the G7 to diversity and inclusion in events , the conference offered up learnings from the last 18 months in lockdown . Many of the conversations being had on site focussed on how we can not only recover from the pandemic , but learn from it .
Glyn Davies , executive producer , CTL Communications , said : “ We ’ re talking about different ways to come back , not just going back to the old way that we did things .”
Michael Gietzen , group managing director , Identity Group , said : “ It ’ s so great to be back here , live and giving a presentation , to see people ’ s faces when you ’ re speaking to them , it ’ s great to be back .
“ Confidence is going to be a massive factor going forward , we need to continue to do these types of things [ live events / conferences ]. We need to learn about making life easier at live events so that we are
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not restricting the physical element too much , but still learn from those risk factors from event to event .”
The world of digital and hybrid events was also a big talking point for those on-site , with numerous discussions being had about the longevity of virtual events now that the industry is back in a live setting .
Julien Bouvier , event director at Swapcard , said : “ I think there will always be a digital component to events , I think in today ’ s market you cannot run an event without the digital piece . For attendees who can ’ t travel … having this digital component allows attendees to grab the content , I believe event content should live online and in-person elements should be focussed on human interaction .”
What ’ s next ? International Confex is back next year at ExCeL London , taking place 8-9 March 2022 , the event will build upon the learnings from this year ’ s conference . CN
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