We attended IBTM World in Barcelona. Here are a few quick thoughts from Greg McEwan, head of communications, on several emerging trends.
The tech-focused Exploratory Zone has moved from the fringe of the show in previous years, to the centre. And there is good reason for this. Event managers are looking for new technologies to add to their toolkit to drive cost efficiencies and engagement.
Despite the fact that we increasingly interact in virtual environments, events are still essential. And, as reported by C&IT Magazine in its latest industry watch report, the five main industries that have an influence on meetings and events procurement are banking and finance, IT, engineering and construction, automotive and pharmaceutical. When the global economy grows, the event sector grows.
Data is at the heart of many conversations here. How can event organisers demonstrate and ROI? How can they measure engagement? These are difficult questions to answer.
An underlying theme that ties the above three points together is that event managers are under increasing pressure to find creative, innovative and environmentally-conscious ways to increase engagement at their events, despite growth in the sector.