ORGANISER INTERVIEW |
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and test drive the products on display . The sheer efficiency and economy of meeting with so many people , in one place , at one time .
What industry trends have you noticed ? From the perspective of a large global employer , I am seeing the emergence of a fearless workforce . Our people have emerged ready to place big bets and create even more magical and valuable experiences for our customers and that ’ s great to see . From the exhibitions ’ perspective , one main trend will be fewer people attending , but that is not a bad thing at all . Because of ESG considerations , carbon emissions and tightened spending on business travel , we will have more senior people coming to our trade shows and they ’ ll be coming with very senior points of view to do significant business . Seeing full trade shows and not being able to see ( what used to be ) carpet beneath their feet is no longer a good barometer of a good trade show . The trend will be quality over quantity .
The other is that trade shows are taking more risks to show industries what lies ahead . Whether it is AI or ESG , we must lead the industries we serve and show them what is new in technology for hospitals of the future , for example , or new techniques in alternative energy solutions .
It ’ s our role as a trade show not to put on the same
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“ The events sector is still highly fragmented so we must be focused on making the right acquisitions ”
show every single year , but to place the bets and show the industry what ’ s coming , what ’ s new , and what areas are worthy of their attention . That ’ s how we are going to help our customers build their businesses .
You ’ ve spoken before about the importance of live events , but how much of the digital pivot will be kept ? Our customers have needs and it ’ s our job to meet those needs by making our events smarter . Our exhibitors are desperate to rebuild their databases , they are desperate to engage on a world stage , they are desperate to meet new buyers and build their businesses – we are here to help them do that .
Our head of digital , Gaby Appleton compared events with the evolution
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of restaurant booking in Conference and Meetings World [ EN sister publication ] – and it resonated with me . Before the smartphone , if you were looking for a restaurant , you might wander up and down the street , look in the windows , check the menus , and with any luck , make a good choice . Your order would be written down , and that piece of paper would migrate into a kitchen and hopefully , you got your food , hot and on time . Today , you search for , review and book restaurants online , you order via apps or by scanning QR codes . Your orders are taken on an iPad , and you pay with your mobile phones … eating out remains the cool , physical , visceral , enjoyable experience , but the process around it , that ’ s been digitised , giving people greater freedom .
Following the acquisition of Corp Events , do you have any others lined up ? Do you see growth in any market sectors ? Predominantly , we are looking to continue to grow organically but supplement that growth with selected acquisitions – we are looking to make the right acquisitions in the right market and growth area for us . The events sector is still highly fragmented so we must be focused on making the right acquisitions , where they make sense , in the right places within the right sectors and at the right time .
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What areas of sustainability has RX been working on ? Back in November 2021 , we were founding signatories of the UFI Net Zero Events pledge , which commits members to measure and reduce their show emissions and publish their pathway to achieve Net Zero by 2050 , reporting on their progress every two years . We are committed to being Net Zero by 2040 in line with RELX .
We ’ ll be publishing our own RX Net Zero Carbon Events roadmap later this year which will set out our journey to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 .
In February , this year , we launched RX ’ s new Sustainability Playbook to inform and support our event and operations teams to make more sustainable event choices .
We are accelerating our efforts to measure our carbon footprint including emissions data from shows at our top 30 venues and we will share best practices among shows so that our customers can benefit from the ideas and innovations across sectors . It ’ s such an important topic and one where we know we can make a difference .
Events offer the efficiency of bringing everyone together at one time – we are working with our sectors across the business to help them with their sustainability missions and we ’ ve already seen phenomenal changes to the way our venues , events , teams , visitors and exhibitors are working .
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18 — Autumn |