L-R : Daniella Galante Jon Yahirun L-R : Joeseph Kowalsky Monika Baro
Justine Rabel Company : Eventmaker Role : Key account manager Country : France
Maria Victoria Piñeres Company : Costa Rica Convention Center Role : Operations manager Countries : Costa Rica / Colombia
Jon Yahirun Company : Clarion Events Role : Customer success manager Country : US
What does winning the NGL Grant mean to you ? I joined the exhibition industry as an event technology provider . For me , being a part of this programme means that event technology is considered as a huge component in organising trade shows and its business model .
What issues do you think most challenge the industry ? One of the challenges is to do with data . During the pandemic , organisers were able to collect a lot of data from virtual events . They were forced to ask themselves a lot of questions : ‘ who owns this data ?’; ‘ what should we do with it ?’
I think the next step is deciding what to do with this data and how it can make our events more meaningful and meet the end goals of our stakeholders .
What does the NGL Grant mean to you ? An opportunity to get out there , do networking and meet people from across the industry . Being a Latin American woman who has operated in Colombia and Costa Rica , and who at a young age has had the opportunity to work at numerous convention centres , I ’ m able to bring into the industry a new perspective from a different generation and region .
What do you think is the biggest issue facing the industry ? I think the biggest issue facing the industry is coming up to date with what is happening . The industry is great at adapting , but we ’ re a little behind when seeing things in advance . We should not wait until something happens but be a mile forward so that we ’ re ready for whatever is thrown at us next .
What are you hoping to get from the UFI European Conference ? I think inspiration is a huge part . I ’ m proud to have won the Grant , but I ’ m looking forward to a long journey of learning much more about the industry as a result of my participation in the programme .
Education is vital for me to grow .
In an age of digital transformation as a result of the pandemic , do you believe there still a desire for people to attend live events ? Absolutely . I think there is a clear desire for human connection that really can ’ t be replaced by event technology .
Event technology will help bring people together , but it will not replace the interaction that people have during live events .
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 3 2022 17