Driving the events industry forward into 2022
As the events and exhibitions industry looks ahead to 2022, we all want to see it returning to its former strength. Getting the balance right between the in person experience and the virtual technologies we have all embraced over the last two years is key. We are excited by all of the opportunities at hand to reshape our industry and have asked our experts to set out the top considerations for event leaders next year.
Tim Collett, Head of Live Events. ‘Don’t look back.’
The power of the live experience is an unrivalled one: the emotion, the focus, the ability to engage and involve, makes this a medium we have all sorely missed.
As we look ahead to 2022, it’s important that we don’t just attempt to recreate the experiences of 2019. For some time, we have spoken about events with a full digital ecosystem being an essential part of our communications mix, but until the pandemic, this technology often wasn’t being used to its full potential. In 2022, we have a significantly more digitally savvy audience, more adept at engaging with people and consuming content in a platform-based world. The digital world itself has developed at previously unheard-of rates, with new products, updates and tools being released almost daily. 2022 presents a great opportunity to embrace these technologies and create even more memorable experiences.
Events come at a high cost financially, environmentally, physically and in terms of the time we spend there. In order to repay this investment, we need to be even tougher with ourselves in how we create truly engaging experiences, centred around the human experience. By taking the strongest elements of both the live and digital medium, we can use intelligent UX design to ensure that the audience gets a great experience and that our communications are compelling and memorable.
Recent developments with the Omicron variant have demonstrated that we don’t have 100% certainty in the planning and medium of our events. We must ensure we do not forget the lessons we have learnt and the agile skills we have honed over the years.
Our ability to be agile in medium and message has ensured that we have been able to communicate with our audiences throughout this challenging time and that we will continue to do so.
Mark Jackson, Head of Environments – ‘Opening up to the world.’
We are encouraging our clients to re-imagine their congress presence for 2022. COVID has been the catalyst for a lot of changes and despite its challenges, it has also been a boost for innovation. Here are my thoughts on the year ahead for our industry:
Exhibitions no longer need to be a closed environment. New technologies offer many new ways to communicate, both in person and remotely. It means that your next congress can be a centrepiece, connecting a global audience.
Sustainability has always been a challenge in our industry, but this must be high on the agenda for any new congress initiative. As a founder member of isla, we are co-creating what sustainable best practice should look like in our industry.
Human connection is now an even more vital part of any congress. If people are getting together in person, experiences are becoming less promotional and more social. Delegates don’t just want a sales pitch; they want to re-establish connections and relationships that have been eroded over the past 18 months.
Improved strategic communications integration has become a key focus for most brands. Delegates expect a seamless, omnichannel experience, whether they are accessing your content at home or in person. Content needs to be varied, easily digestible and on demand, so that delegates have choices on how and where they access it.
Mark Gass, Group Creative Innovation Officer – ‘Don’t settle for business as usual.’
The experiences you offer to delegates at events and exhibitions have a huge influence on the way the world sees you. They make what you think tangible. They make what you do understandable and more importantly, compelling. Advances in gaming software, AR and VR, along with innovative web-based platforms like our very own heddle, mean that our ability to create interesting, engaging and interactive experiences is now greater than ever.
As we expand our definition of hybrid experiences into what some are calling the Metaverse, the opportunities to do something truly exceptional multiply exponentially. Some of this technology is at an early stage, but there have been real breakthroughs in VR recently, with the development of near-sight perfect resolution. LiDAR technology allows us to mirror virtual and real world spaces, with the ability to slip between the two and merge them together. The boundaries are blurring between the real and the digital. Just think what that could mean for your future experiences. When you’re planning your events and exhibitions for 2022, remember what makes them so effective in the first place. They are a welcome break from ‘business as usual’ and create a very real time and place, where what you want to show, share and say, gets the undivided attention it deserves.
The past two years have certainly been a challenge, but they have also been a great opportunity to think about experiences in a more innovative way. By freeing ourselves of the idea of ‘business as usual’ and embracing both the joys of getting together in person and the benefits of new technologies, we can ensure audiences get the innovative experiences they deserve.
