Insight: Issue 102 | 31 Aug

It’s that time again.

Time to buckle up and prepare to receive a big dod of the finest events news this side of the hemisphere.

In this week’s melee of musings from across the UK and beyond, we have: NOEA calls on events industry to collaborate to address cost-of-living crisis; ExCeL’s changing vision for future with opening of Jurassic World exhibition; Somerset House announces sustainable, inclusive and diverse supplier search; Predicting the Future of Event Technology; and the first Notting Hill Carnival for three years draws to a close with huge street party.

NOEA calls on events industry to collaborate to address cost-of-living crisis

Cost of living crisis and rocketing energy prices – the hot topic on everyone’s lips….except the British Government’s.

The National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) has called on all companies involved in the events industry to collectively mitigate the impact of the cost-of-living crises by taking a new approach to doing business.

In a statement, the organisation said it wanted to see, “more collaboration between businesses, more transparency, less profiteering and more open, empathetic, and kind business”.

NOEA also called on the Government to inject investment into the industry in order to allow more capital, and encourage better payment terms within supply chains. It said, “What the pandemic started, the cost-of-living crisis could finish.”

NOEA president Tom Clements said, “It’s incredibly difficult for companies at the moment, there are increasing examples of bad practice from both suppliers and organisers, and we can’t allow this to turn in to a race to the bottom. We do need help from government, buts it’s also incumbent on every business in our industry to look at playing a longer game, one that safeguards the industry and everyone around them.”

NOEA is also calling for significant action from businesses within the industry, and is also petitioning the government on a number of issues.

ExCeL’s changing vision for future with opening of Jurassic World exhibition

Our next story is quite simply dino-mite (sorry).

Jurassic World: the Exhibition opening on the 25 August with record breaking numbers. The event is ExCeL’s first venture into live immersive events and is set to change how the wider campus is used. The show has already sold more than 100,000 tickets in pre-sales prior to the gates to the famously terrifying attraction opening.

Head of attractions and live events at ExCeL London, Damian Norman said: “Jurassic World: the Exhibition is the first enter into the immersive experience genre for us as a business. It coincides with the opening of the Elizabeth line very recently and I’m delighted to say the event has sold 1000,000 in advance. It’s the highest number of tickets sold before a Jurassic World the Exhibition has opened and it’s been in eight countries globally. So, we’re thrilled to bits with the first outing.”

Take that Dennis Nedry.

Somerset House announces sustainable, inclusive and diverse supplier search

Sustainable, inclusive and diverse – 3 of our favourite words. The iconic central London venue Somerset House is inviting businesses to apply to become an accredited supplier.

The venue hosts hundreds of events each year for a range of clients and is keen to ensure its suppliers and their services are equally inclusive and sustainable in practice.

Rebecca Moore, senior event manager, said “Somerset House is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community reflecting the nature of our society. Our newly accredited suppliers will reflect this and actively engage with it. There’s a lot of new, forward-thinking talent in our industry, and we welcome businesses both big and small that identify with our beliefs and working practices.”

Predicting the Future of Event Technology

In a fascinating and insightful article by The Association Magazine, Brian Ludwig, Senior Vice President of Sales at Cvent, considers the future of event technology and how it might impact travel, hotels and venues, and the way attendees engage with each other and their event environment.

In the article, he focuses on three key areas: how attendees will get to events, how venues of the future will innovate, and how attendees will engage with each other and their event environment.

Read more here.

Notting Hill Carnival for three years draws to a close with huge street party

Everyone’s favourite carnival was back with a bang this year – and was deemed a roaring success.

Thousands of revellers partied on the streets of west London, as people travelled from across the globe to attend Europe’s largest street carnival and to celebrate London’s diversity.

The Adults Day parade on Monday saw many partygoers dressed in colourful, sparkling costumes to match the samba dancers who wowed crowds as they made their way through throngs of people. As always, the event attracted a diverse crowd of young and old, Londoners and people who travelled from abroad, first-time goers and faithful attendees of many decades.

Delighted to see it back.

Love, luck and laters event profs