Insight: Issue 117 | 21 Dec

Have a jingle belter…

Only a few days to go before the big man’s chimney bound – bring on the the baubles, the Bublé and the bubbly, it’s time to get downright merry. And boy, have we got a special little pre Christmas pressie for you this year; try a generous festive spread of all things events news. So pop on that paper crown and let’s dig in.

We’re stuffing the turkey this week with; EICC launches academic advisory board; Widespread dissatisfaction in diversity, equity and inclusion in the events industry; The O2 is the first arena in England to achieve its ‘Greener Arena’ certification; GCB Future Meeting Space Research results on redefining event attendance; and 4 Cutting-Edge Technologies Used In FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

ICC launches academic advisory board

Say hello to the Exchange Initiative, the EICC’s new academic advisory board!

The board is designed to promote the part that senior academics play in attracting international association conferences to the city – a business that bolsters the capitals economy by tens of millions every year. The initiave will target five primary sectors: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering, IT, and Energy.

As part of the collab the EICC and Exchange Initiative are launching an online portal early in the new year, a resource for marketing support in ongoing bids for international association conferences. 

Chair of the Initiative and dean of applied sciences at Edinburgh Napier University Gary Hutchison, said

“The academic advisory board gives us a structure, with a clear set of objectives, and platform to go out and identify even more opportunities for the EICC, the university sector, and the city itself.”

Widespread dissatisfaction in diversity, equity and inclusion in the events industry

The EIC’s 2022 Equity Benchmarking Study, designed to address the lack of transparent data about diversity within the industry, has shown there is still a long way to go in the fight for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Launched in partnership with the EIC’s Equity Task Force, the recent study has uncovered widespread dissatisfaction in the industry, particularly amongst minority groups and women.

Through a series of leadership focus group discussions and an AI chatbot survey of 1,404 event profs, the study found that 61% of people identified as white compared to just 15% as black – with only 6% representation at board level. It’s figures like this that show there’s clearly work to be done in tackling structural and systemic racism in the industry.

The report addresses the need for change concerning DEI:

“It is evident from this study, along with other research, that existing practices need to be enhanced to build a sustainable DEI experience for event professionals across the industry. The study data on ethnic and gender inclusivity provides a convincing insight into how representation of gender alone is not an assurance of cultural change. Sustainable DEI change is essentially about dismantling systems and processes that maintain the status quo. Add-ons are insufficient. This is a potential challenge and if the DEI experience continues to be the same, it is an indicator of the key messages from this study.”

The O2 is the first arena in England to achieve its ‘Greener Arena’ certification

Props to the O2 – the first ‘Greener Arena’ in England!

The major London venue can now call itself a certifiably sustainable icon – as AGF have awarded them the accolade in recognition of the business’ efforts to go full eco.

Along with measures such as running on 100% renewable energy, the certification also acknowledges the O2 for it’s dedication to the health and wellbeing of its staff as well as it’s commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion – giving the venue an ‘Outstanding’ stamp of approval.

The O2’s VP and General Manager Steve Sayer comments:

“We’re so proud to have achieved our Greener Arena certification, and to be paving the way for other arenas in England and around the world. Sustainability has been an integral part of our business strategy this year, and with events like Overheated we’ve been able to make real strides in this space. Becoming a more sustainable venue is a constantly evolving task, and we know there’s still a lot more work to do, which is why we’re hiring new, dedicated resource next year to help take on this challenge. We’re looking forward to working closely with AGF following the actions from their certification report and publishing a comprehensive Green Rider for The O2. This will ensure that we provide a best-in-class experience for both artists and fans in an even more sustainable way.”

GCB Future Meeting Space Research results on redefining event attendance

“Why will people attend in-person events?” asks the Future Meeting Space (FMS).

The full results of it’s 2022 research phase ‘Redefining Event Attendance’ were published on Dec 14, a hybrid based study with over 700 registered online attendees and 30 on site guests in Frankfurt.

This years FMS brought to light 3 key findings on the future of in-person attendence, we’ll do a little sparknotes summary for you:

1. In-person events have an ability to inspire and generate ideas through face-to-face interaction

2. Events and business travel are an essential tool for recruitment and staff retention

3. Sustainability continues to be a driving factor in the ‘will we, won’t we’ decision when attending live events. Factors like climate-neutral travel and offsetting C02 are major considerations.

Defining them ‘unique’ and ‘irreplaceable’, the ‘Redefining Event Attendance’ research highlights the immense value that in-person events will always have. In next years ‘Navigating Business Events in Challenging Times’ study, FMS will look at what solutions the industry can take when faced with tough times.

4 Cutting-Edge Technologies Used In FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Still on a bit of a Messi comedown?

It goes without saying that technology will define the future of sport. From AI referees to sensor equipped balls – this year’s World Cup had the lot.

Jumpstart magazine are hitting you up with 4 top drawer tech game-changers of the 2022 World Cup.

1 Sensor-equipped football

Introducing the Adidas “Al Rihla” (“the journey” in Arabic) ball. Armed with an an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor, it sends data to the video operation room at a rate of 500 times per second. Perfect for tight offside decisions.

2 AI and more…

Say hello to SOAT, the new AI-based Semi-Automated Offside Technology. Qatar’s stadiums had 12 tracking cameras underneath the roof that track the player’s and the ball at 50 times per second. This piece of kit determined that Bruno Fernandes scored Portugals opening goal against Uruguay instead of Ronaldo.

3 Advanced stadium cooling technology

Time for a cold one? Designed by Saud Abdulaziz Ghani, or “Dr. Cool”, seven of Qatar’s eight stadiums were lined with new solar-powered cooling technology in an effort to the tackle the extreme heat.

4 An app for FIFA players

Every player at the FIFA World Cup 2022 was given access to an app that allows them to access data related to their physical and team performance with information collected through in-stadium tracking systems so they can analyse gameplay.

Luka Modric is a fan of the app:

“Sometimes similar things or scenarios will happen to you on the pitch in two separate games, so by using this app I can see what I did in that particular moment which was not good and try to correct it for the next game,”

That’s it for… this year!

We’ll see you all in 2023 for more event newsings – but in the meantime……Merry Christmas ya filthy animals.