Of metaverse and marketing … but beware ‘ fool ’ s gold ’
Stephanie Selesnick looks back at UFI ’ s European reunion in Poland
bout 170 delegates met
A in Poznań , Poland , 4-6 May , for global association of the exhibition industry UFI ’ s European Conference 2022 . Themes of sustainability , the value of live F2B B2B events , and regionalisation were to the fore .
The mood was upbeat in this first live edition of the European Conference since Covid-19 . Live music abounded . A ukulele band and hula dancers opened the conference and a live band played between educational sessions .
MTP chairman of the Board of Directors and venue host Tomasz Kobierski welcomed delegates . While Natalia Urbanska-Guss , InSpire Foundation , shared the efforts of MTP Grupa ( host venue ), volunteers and companies , including Fondazione Fiera Milano and Fiera Milano SpA , who sent six trucks filled with supplies for Ukrainian refugees . Paddy Cosgrave , CEO and founder of Web Summit , shared his thoughts on industry trends , including the rise of regional events driving attendance to a mothership event , co-ownership of data by tech providers and organisers , and role of the metaverse , AI , AR , VR and XR in future B2B events .
On data and software , Cosgrave said that some digital event platforms were trying to be like Amazon , taking over the events business and driving out organisers . Instead , they should act more like a salesforce , providing “ the boring and very necessary back-end tech to help clients increase efficiencies in all areas of live events .” He called the metaverse and virtual conferences / expos a “ distraction ” from what large companies are doing ( referring back to the Amazon analogy ). AI , in his opinion , is mostly hype .
Cosgrave said the events industry should play a larger role in supporting SMEs , singling out German Messes as “ hidden champions ” of smaller companies . He called 365-communities “ fools ’ gold ”, saying festivals and events worked for a reason – they are time limited , likening trying to make Easter week into Easter Year – which won ’ t work . Mike Seaman , CEO of Raccoon Events , described how he had taken his passion for running and turned it into 10 events ( six in the UK , four in the US ), with more on the horizon . He credits part of the success to “ inside out marketing ” and using B2B tactics along with influencers to make the company ’ s B2C events successful .
Seaman suggested measuring an event ’ s carbon footprint first , then reducing areas creating the most carbon . This , he said , could include providing information packs with tips to exhibitors and visitors .
His biggest fear ? Keeping the 30 employees from burning out as the company grows , while looking to expand in the US and Europe .
Natalia Hatalska , Infuture Institute , presented the results from the Future of Expos Study and said things were not going back to the way they were pre-Covid . Citing examples from the recent World Expo in Dubai , she said that AR / VR / XR are only as good as the tech – people will quickly abandon it as soon as there ’ s a malfunction . Instead , visitors crave sights , sounds , smells when engaging with a stand .
She shared four scenarios going forward for planning purposes :
• The Zalpha Factor ( generations of Zed and Alpha ) will be more interested in social interactions over making business at events
• Multisensory experiences in the Mirror World / Metaverse ( not the Meta version ), but something coming down the pipeline in the next few years
• Safe self-sufficiency around climate awareness
• Local hubs with regional and smaller shows
Other sessions included the first in-person version of the Exhibition Think Tank where delegates crowd-sourced solutions to industry problems and a session on attracting and retaining talent by David Boon , Brussels Expo and UFI European Chapter chair ; Karin Krogh , Bella Center and Enrica Baccini , Fondazione Fiera Milan , who pointed out our industry must better explain and promote the value proposition of working in it to attract the next generation to our business .
Also announced were the new UFI Global Exhibitions & Events Directory and the UFI 2022 Awards finalists .
14 Issue 3 2022 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk