Insight: Issue 124 | Wed 22 Feb

Big Northerly News from #TeamCameron

There’s something stirring down at HQ, and to paraphrase our beloved bard, “Our Heart is in the Highlands”.

This week we’re talking: Gettin’ busy in the Highlands and Islands; The Power of Events launches platform; Making Meetings Green: Biophilic Design Uplifts Event Space; U2 to launch world’s largest 16K LED screen at MSG Sphere; and AEG Europe makes last-ditch push for political leaders to refuse MSG sphere.

Gettin’ busy in the Highlands and Islands

That’s right – #TeamCameron are taking the highroad!

We’re delighted to announce that we’re now part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) multi-supplier framework for Event Management!

Heading upwards, our trusty band of eventeers will now provide support with the planning, managing and successful running of a wide range of digital, hybrid and in-person events.

What’s more – there’s another tree-rrific adventure afoot…

Click the link below and all will be revealed.

The Power of Events launches platform

On the 16th of Feb, The Power of Events launched its new, game changing industry platform. Partners and supporters gathered at London live events space Here at Outernet to explore what the 7 sector spanning platform has to offer, as the pioneering company took the opportunity to thank its 200 contributors.

With representatives from big names such as Notting Hill Carnival, AEG Europe, NOWIE and ASM Global in attendance, the launch presentation saw the Power of Events cover the pandemic origins of the company, and it’s fundamental goal to build cross-sector collaboration within the UK events industry.

The content of the platform showcases the 7 sectors through: overview videos; 100+ industry community organisations; 44 news articles referenced; 90+ industry calendar events profiled and 100s of business supporters recognised.

Leading the launch presentation, Founder Rick Stainton did a quick tour of the platform and highlighted that the creation of the platform is just the beginning:

“We’ve seen how bringing together some of our leading event businesses and organisations with academic support from our ten University partners has the potential to be a game changer in the way our industry is seen and understood. Making those connections was the first step – now we’ll be curating those relationships to help deliver robust data for the industry and evidence-based research. None of this would have been possible without the fantastic support we’ve had from all of our partners and supporters and we also wanted to acknowledge that and thank them for their commitment and belief in the mission we’ve set ourselves.”

Making Meetings Green: Biophilic Design Uplifts Event Space

Love mother nature? Now and again, meeting and hospitality profs get the opportunity to go outside and organise events in the beautiful outdoors. As we make the big return to on-site events and the move indoors, many planners are looking at how venues can incorporate biophilic design into the live experience, allowing for attendee interaction with other forms of life in nature.

Smart Meetings talks to Joe Zazzera, the leading biophilic design pioneer of Plant Solutions, about the benefits of this approach. Here’s a couple of the talking points:

From Decorations to Health Benefits

With research showing that plants help lower tension and anxiety by 37% and reduce feelings of anger by 44%, Zazzera believes that there has been a shift in the way employers are incorporating nature into the workplace.

He comments: “When I first started, it was really just about putting plants in office lobbies to make their place look good. It was more about image,”

“We now know the benefits of living plants indoors; it’s become more and more of a health benefit.”

Why Plants Are Important for the Human Body

Zazzera speaks through firsthand experience of how people nowadays have got the biophilic buzz.

“People love to see us coming bringing plants indoors,” he said. Comments include: “Oh, you’re making the air fresher,” or “Oh, you’re making me so happy,” or “Oh, I wanted that plant so badly.”

Looking at the industry in particular, Plant Solutions’ Zazzera suggests that in indoor venues where light can be an issue, organisers can make use of low-light plants and artificial light, and for the ever popular living wall, elevated lamps to help with plant growth.

U2 to launch world’s largest 16K LED screen at MSG Sphere

Have they found what they’re looking for?

Marking the launch of the MSG Sphere at The Venetian, audiences at iconic Irish rock band U2’s series of autumn concerts will be wowed by the world’s largest 16K LED screen.

U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At The Sphere will also include innovative tech such as 170,000 beam-forming speakers that create ‘sphere immersive sound’, and 4D technologies that will have gig-goers feeling the wind on their face, the heat on their skin and the rumble of thunder.

The $2bn Las Vegas development is 150m wide and 90m high – making it the ‘tallest spherical structure on Earth’.

U2’s guitarist The Edge comments:

“The beauty of the Sphere is not only the ground-breaking technology that will make it so unique, with the world’s most advanced audio system, integrated into a structure which is designed with sound quality as a priority; it’s also the possibilities around immersive experience in real and imaginary landscapes. In short, it’s a canvas of an unparalleled scale and image resolution – a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

AEG Europe makes last-ditch push for political leaders to refuse MSG sphere

AEG Europe are urging political leaders to block the build of the 21,500 capacity MSG Sphere arena in London – a project led by US-based Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) in partnership with designers Populous, the architecture firm behind Wembley Stadium. The venue will be within just four miles AEG’s The O2 arena (cap. 21,000).

In a written letter to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Michael Gove, AEG hope to convince the powers that be to thwart the green light previously given by the London Legacy Development Corporation’s Planning Decisions Committee.

AEG argues that the committee’s decision making process is flawed, and the project will ‘blot London’s skyline’. The project is similarly unpopular with Newham Council, neighbouring east London boroughs, the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the local MP, rail operators, Transport for London, Historic England, as well as local residents.

AEG Europe executive VP real estate and development Alistair Wood drives home his objection to the arena:

“Since these proposals first emerged back in 2017, AEG has consistently raised its objections to the unacceptable impact that this proposal will have on the operation of The O2 and the hundreds of residents who will be even more directly affected.”

That’s the long and short of it for this week folks.

We’ll catch you next time for more top drawer events chronicling…