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We need to realise , however , that to develop and execute a successful Omnichannel Model , a lot of commitment , hard work and investment is needed . This will not be easy for the smaller organisers and could lead to a trend of more concentration .
What are the types of needs , technology , or skills event organisers and planners will have to take into account when planning for future events ? Mostly digital , which requires very different skills beyond traditional event organising and business skills . Think about database-management , data analysis , multi-channel marketing and selling , etc . As well , event organisers expect to gain a lot more data regarding the venue and location where they want to launch a new event or host a meeting . They want to be able to discover new locations and venues and quickly understand and compare different capabilities and options .
Tell us more about the new venueScout venture you have embarked on with jwc venueScout is a digital platform where event organisers and meeting planners can easily find the best venues from exhibition , congress / convention centres , to hotels , and other unique venues for their specific needs . Our platform is developed on a global scale , with extensive and consistent information for every venue . Service suppliers will also be included on the platform based on the location ( s ) where they provide their services .
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that there are no other platforms doing this in a consistent way or on a global scale . We want to become the Booking . com for our own events industry marketplace . And , like Booking . com , we add ratings and evaluations of venues and service suppliers by organiser , exhibitors and even visitors to their profiles . The aim is to increase transparency in our industry and to provide venues and service suppliers with insights to improve their products and services , which will then improve the quality of the events at the same time for the benefit of our entire industry .
You once famously recounted lessons from working with the Alibaba project and impressed with just how much can be learned from a failed project . Tell us about that ? The most important lessons we learned from working with Alibaba was that organisers do not have to fear these big e-commerce giants . We found our trade show audience data was far richer and in-depth than theirs , and the types of customers Alibaba serves are very different . Their objectives and goals
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Below : Jimé Essink |
were also different than ours which made it not so easy to work together during points in our partnership .
Any other stand-out trade show experiences that stick in your mind ? When I visited our Food exhibition in Rangoon , Myanmar there were heavy rains and the primitive venue was totally flooded with water a metre deep in the main hall a day before the planned opening . The local team did an amazing job by building a platform of 120cm covering the surface of the hall and we rebuilt the whole exhibition on top of that platform . The event took place as planned and customers were very happy .
What advice would you give US or European organisers , in particular , looking to collaborate with Asia ? Almost nothing is the same as it is in your own country , so you need to adapt many elements of your event and the processes around it . Working with a partner with local experience is crucial , otherwise the risk of failure is enormous . Get to know your local partner very well and respect especially his / her knowledge about the local way of doing things .
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Why did you and the team start venueScout ? We wanted to make the whole process of finding the right venue a much easier and more efficient experience , as well as support venue and service suppliers to promote their business to organisers and the exhibitor community . We found |