The meetings and events industry is currently buzzing with new technology, with each new product or service claiming to be the ‘next big thing’, but which innovations truly have the power to transform the way we organise, run and experience events? Ahead of IBTM World 2018, we asked some of the experts who will be speaking this year the following question:
Q: What, in your opinion, will be the top three innovations or technologies that will have the biggest impact on the meetings industry in the next ten years?
Kevin Jackson - The Experience is the Marketing
“Overall, we are going to stop thinking of technology as a separate part of anything; it will simply be the way things are and will not be thought of as a different category of any industry. Specifically, for the meetings industry, we will get better at making the meeting the hub of the activity or community and allow people to participate wherever and whenever they want, rather like Sky Plus on your TV. You may join the meeting on your commute, attend in person or participate in a Q&A from your office.
“We will gather emotional data during all meeting and events, either via ‘fitbit style’ wrist bands or through room sensors. We will be able to read in real time what is working, or not, and adjust programmes and predict outcomes. This will really nail the measurement weakness in the industry.
Finally, due to the removal of friction by digitised buying and the transparency created by blockchain, we will be able bring the down the barriers to mass participation. This will make the meeting and events industry the premier marketing channel.”
Kevin Jackson is Head of Ideas and Innovation at The Experience is the Marketing. A disruptor and thought leader with over 25 years’ experience, Kevin has worked with both global brands and start-ups and has been widely quoted in the media. He is also a guest lecturer and public speaker.
Kevin’s IBTM World conference sessions include ‘Growing your business: Work Less Win More’ and ‘How to win more business pitches’. For more information click here
Matthias Schultze - German Convention Bureau (GCB)
“I believe that any technology and innovation that helps create a positive user experience will have a crucial impact. Event attendees increasingly seek disruption, i.e. they expect events to offer something new and special. For instance, this could be any technology that promotes attendee engagement and interaction. This is underpinned by the preliminary results of our Future Meeting Space survey on how different types of attendees are affected by meeting methodologies and technologies. User experience has emerged as one of the major success factors for events here.
“However, the platform economy as the digital economy’s core business model will probably have the most profound impact on the overall meetings industry. We have seen the success of platforms in a variety of sectors and, as an industry, we must be prepared for their disruptive potential. It is likely that only a few platforms will emerge from numerous meeting portals to dominate the market and that platform providers will be neutral players from outside our industry. Together with partners, the GCB is therefore investigating the opportunities and challenges of the platform economy for our industry and producing a study in the coming months.”
Matthias Schultze has twenty years’ experience in the MICE industry and is Managing Director at German Convention Bureau (GCB), which represents Germany as a leading sustainable destination in the world for meetings and conventions. Prior to this, Matthias was Managing Director at World Conference Centre Bonn, and before this worked on Business Development for Hilton.
Matthias’s IBTM World conference sessions include ‘Future meeting space: new requirements, new formats, new meeting areas’. For more information click here
Mark Cooper - IACC
“I believe that there will be some serious breakthroughs in internet management over the next few years for conferences, through having greater control over internet infrastructure. We cannot be far away from being able to guarantee and allocate a certain level of bandwidth for each event that is secure and has strong signal and service. Internet management needs to be more robust and from what I see, companies like Kloudspot are focused on providing solutions which will put the event planner in control of internet.
“While Virtual Reality (VR) technology is yet to really impact the meeting venue site inspection., when it starts to become more accessible and affordable, I think this will develop into an exciting new way for meeting professionals to evaluate the venue for suitability in areas such as layout and flow, in a way that currently can only be done in person and looking at a one-dimensional image. 360-degree tours are possible today and many are impressive. VR will take this experience to the next level in the coming years - one company investing heavily in this is Allseated.com, which has some exciting early developments.
“Pioneering venues are focusing on the development of the culinary experience for conference delegates and are really embracing the desire for a more personalised experience. I hope the exciting developments and improvements made by these leading venues will encourage those who lack creativity to up their game. Delegates at meetings deserve to have a good dining experience and should not be distracted by dreaming of what they can get to eat on the way home.”
Mark Cooper is the Chief Executive Officer of IACC. He has 25-years of experience in the global meetings industry working for both US and UK based companies, in a number of leadership roles requiring a sales and marketing specialist.
Mark’s IBTM World conference session is ‘2018 global research: Creating the ultimate meeting experience’. For more information, click here.
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Notes to Editors
About IBTM
IBTM, part of Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) is the world’s leading showcase for the meetings and events industry (also known as MICE) with a portfolio of 5 global and regional events providing business solutions on 5 continents. They include IBTM World, IBTM Arabia, IBTM Africa, IBTM Americas and IBTM China.
www.ibtmevents.com
About Reed Travel Exhibitions
Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser, with a wide-ranging portfolio of 22 international events in 13 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa. Its market-leading, business-to-business events cover all elements of travel and tourism, including leisure travel, luxury travel, meetings, events, incentives and business travel, as well as golf travel.
www.reedtravelexhibitions.com
