No more looking back
Vincent Polito , CEO of the Society of Independent Show Organisers ( SISO ) looks ahead
he first edition of
T the year is always a good time to make some forward looking statements about the year ahead . In just the first few weeks of the year we have seen major high quality events exceeding expectations , setting the stage for 2023 to potentially reach or eclipse the 2019 high water marks . There has been a lot of debate about whether the industry exceeds it ’ s 2019 numbers in 2023 or 2024 , and early indications look positive for attaining this in 2023 . I will break this down into three categories .
Topics from 2022 and previous that will continue to be on everyone ’ s agenda : Sustainability has attained the status after many years that everyone in the ecosystem is committed
and working toward significant milestones . From a pledge to work toward net zero carbon events ( netzerocarbonevents . org ) along with a better understanding of how trade shows result in less air travel , this topic will remain front of discussions for most organisations . It will be less about the planning and more about the implementation of the plans .
Workforce development will continue to be a significant challenge throughout all of 2023 . There will be a bit of a reset if there is an economic slowdown , but our industry will continue to be challenged regarding attracting and retaining talent at all levels . Expect to see more coordinated efforts across all age groups and demographics to bring attention and attract talent .
DEI will continue to lag in the event industry , but a real
Vincent Polito
“ Sustainability will be less about the planning and more about the implementation of the plans ”
commitment is being made . It will be a long process as employees navigate their respective organisations to obtain positions of leadership . We will see improvement , but it will be frustratingly slow at times .
Topics from 2022 that will likely diminish : It should be a goal to not hear any more stories about how organisations navigated Covid .
Only in the rarest of cases will we still see on site testing or masking requirements .
Travel restrictions will wane significantly .
Topics that will become more significant in 2023 : There will be significant improvements to the visa problems , particularly in the case of China .
Outbound travel from China will come back faster than expected . While the slowing growth from China is currently a concern , the pent up demand for international travel will result in rapid increases in attendance at international trade shows .
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly maturing and will begin to play a more significant part in our industry , and its use will drive impressive results . Executive commitment and knowledge gaps will be the biggest reasons for slow adoption . Floorplan design and overall event design will reemerge as a key component in growth strategies .
Overall Outlook — Bottom Line The Ukrainian conflict has put a lot of pressure on energy in Europe . The longer the conflict the more potential drag on the industry . It is still possible / likely that a recession is ahead of us , but it will be briefer and less intense than once feared , providing there are no other global crises ahead .
There are a lot of factors that could create headwinds , but the outlook for 2023 is quite positive .
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 1 2023 13