Reinventing Live
Reinventing Live : The Always-On Future of Events
By Denzil Rankine and Marco Giberti Published by Anthem Press uthors Denzil Rankine and Marco Giberti produced this book at the start of the pandemic , in quick time , as a guide to action as the coronavirus pandemic was beginning its sweep across the world . It is still a prodigious and thorough achievement as well as a timely one .
Containing expert analyses of the live events industry , with numerous examples , case studies and research material , the book draws on many industry sources and begins to imagine a new world where events build communities and nurture relationships all year round , powered by cutting-edge technology .
The book is both a recent history and a practical guide to action for anyone participating in or looking to enter the live events industry .
Both authors are event professionals , evangelists of change and innovation and tackle the main issues , which are seen as rooted in pre-Covid issues but inextricably now connected with the disruption that is occurring across the industry - seemingly at warp speed as the pandemic simply accelerates many of the processes identified .
The authors draw on a lifetime immersed in the events industry as well as on dozens of interviews and conversations with senior executives , entrepreneurs , investors and global players .
Reinventing Live will equip event professionals with new
strategies , tools and insights to apply back into their day-to-day roles – roles that are likely to be unrecognisable from what went before .
The reader is encouraged to view event organisers no longer as pure ‘ organisers ’; “ rather their role is to facilitate business , connections , education and advocacy ”, the authors believe .
And even if we did suspect that events are fast becoming platforms for building communities and nurturing customer relationships ‘ all year round ’, with the use of event technology at its core , the text of Reinventing Live reveals just how to do it .
And there is a warning from the authors for those that don ’ t heed the flashing signals and don ’ t read the runes : “ For many , success up to now has rested on strong organising skills and good marketing , with their blockbuster events protected by barriers to competition . They will have to become genuinely customer-first with new talent and a new culture .” This short course also looks at the events industry ecosystem , with tables and graphs on revenue splits ; charts on the influences of private equity investments in events and examines generational differences in perception and expectations .
There are useful event format definitions and chapters offering a deeper dive into virtual and hybrid value propositions .
The book leads us at breakneck pace through the planning curve for a new way of operating as the industry progresses towards Exhibitions 2.0 .
Armed with these principles of a new operating model , the reader can boldly go back into the events world and follow this strategic roadmap to implement change and be part of the New Model event army .
I ’ ll close with a succinct paragraph from the authors on the need for change and which argues the case for making a virtue out of the Covid necessity : “ If your computer is crashed by a virus and needs a software update , when you restart it again , surely it ’ s best to have an upgrade that deals with all the former niggles and reflects your future needs . We thank that the events industry should get that upgrade .”
50 Issue 2 2021 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk