Insight: Issue 127 | Wed 15 March

Events goss a-plenty!

It’s news time. And this week, we’re hitting you up with more unbridled enthusiasm for events than Hugh Grant at the Oscars on Sunday.

In this weeks edition: What’s key for 2023?; Industry leaders discuss empowerment difficulties faced by women; A Band of Female Event Producers; ‘What the industry needs is support more specifically appropriate to its issues’ – Simon Richards, Finance Director of beam ahead of Chancellor’s Spring Budget Statement; and Glasgow events bosses say Scottish Government’s proposed ban on alcohol advertising is damaging the industry.

What’s key for 2023?

Looking to stage that show-stopping, unforgettable event that will people will be talking about for years to come?

Luckily ConferenceNews recently had a sit down with DRPG producer Tori Phillips, where she gave us her take on the three key trends for 2023 that will make for more memorable events.

Personalisation for delegates

Live events are on the comeback, and organisers are looking to find ways to attract attention. In short, in order to enhance engagement they need to look to tailoring their events to their audience. This can be done in a number of ways – these could include personalised agendas; sessions; networking opportunities; personalised gifts and bespoke communication (to name but a few).

Immersive experiences

How to achieve the unforgettable? These days, delegates are looking to be wowed. Why not try new technologies, interactive installations, and other immersive elements such as virtual and augmented reality and projection mapping? Events are a full five-sense experience.

Inclusive accessibility

It goes without saying that we need to remember to make our events accessible to attendees of all abilities. Fortunately, these days technology has made achieving that much easier. New tech solutions include (but are not limited to) providing assistive devices, using mobile apps or web-based tools to reach optimal engagement, inclusivity and accessibility.

Industry leaders discuss empowerment difficulties faced by women

As part of this year’s international women’s day, the AEO, AEV and ESSA organised a cross-association discussion with Carina Bauer, AEO chair and CEO of IMEX, Felicia Asiedu, senior marketing manager of Cvent and Gillian Kiamil, venue director of Olympia London to discuss key difficulties faced by women in the industry.

In the interview, the 3 female leaders covered issues such as feeling excluded from conversations and starting the race behind their male peers, and also touched on how women and men can empower others in the events sector.

Here’s a few of the key talking points:

Carina Bauer talks on her own experiences of male dominated work environments:

“Within the industry as a whole I’ve certainly been in situations and boardrooms where it’s either been all men or largely dominated by men. I generally find the men in our industry want to do the right thing and be inclusive, but as men and women we often communicate quite differently, so I think awareness of communication style can improve those situations.”

Discussing equity and equality, Felicia Asiedu breaks down the differences:

“Equity means the starting position. Are we starting from an even and equal playing field in the first place to event present equality?”

“People use the example of being on race line and people on starting line and some half way down field, we all have an equal chance to run but some of us are starting way back.”

Gillian Kiamil suggests that methods of recruitment need a rethink:

“I think the disproportionate way that men are in those senior positions is quite telling. From a straight numbers point of view there are so many more women in our business, but once you get to board room or C-suite executive level, the majority are men, and we have to see what we can do to help that and what we can do to make that better.”

“We need to look at who we’re recruiting and how we’re recruiting.”

A Band of Female Event Producers

One woman’s approach to bringing other technicians on the AV career track.

In a recent conversation with Smart Meetings, Anca Platon Trifan, CMP, DES, founder, creator and event producer of Tree-fan Events discussed the way terminology and labels can affect women’s role in the industry, and her own experience of continually being dubbed ‘the AV guy’.

In the interview, Trifan lays down a few creative solutions as to broadening the definition of who can be an event producer.

Here’s a few key points:

A Long Journey

On a career path that took her from Romania to United States, Trifan got her foot in the door of a production company by getting a job repairing computers, where her learning of the equipment and industry processes constantly evolved. Trifan comments, “I learned about the gear before I ever had a chance to use it in a production setting.”

Few and Far Between

Trifan believed the biggest barrier to a career in the industry is training. “There is still a stigma to a man and a woman working one-on-one.”

Passion Project

Anca Platon Trifan believes that one of the key difficulties is that women are still consistently having to prove themselves. She comments, “If I were a young woman again, if I weren’t as resilient, passionate and strong headed enough to go through or over walls, I would probably consider something else,”

“It is tiring because you have to prove yourself every time.”

A Chorus of Voices

Trifan believes that the more people openly talk about DEI, the bigger the catalyst for change.

“The more voices are added to the fire, the louder it gets. That is a process. It isn’t going to happen overnight.”

She continues, “It’s just a matter of time, but I have faith, given enough choir of voices, people can have a home life and a work life.”

‘What the industry needs is support more specifically appropriate to its issues’

Simon Richards, Finance Director of beam ahead of Chancellor’s Spring Budget Statement on Wednesday.

As the Chancellor’s Spring Budget approaches, Simon Richards, Finance Director of beam and Managing Director of Convenus discusses the extent of the support the events industry needs – specifically in recruitment.

Richards comments:

“While beam fully supports the widespread call for an extension to energy cost support, what the industry also needs is support more specifically appropriate to its issues.”

He continues,

“What our industry needs is a job support scheme to incentivise people under 25 to enter the meetings and events industry. We can’t compete with so many sectors.”

“We have a long heritage of creating and producing world-class conferences, meetings and events – the Coronation in May will once again showcase our skills – but unless we recruit more young people, there will be no next generation of event staff to maintain that reputation.”

Glasgow events bosses say Scottish Government’s proposed ban on alcohol advertising is damaging the industry

Unfortunately, advertising could be going stone cold sober.

Scottish events head honchos are warning the Scottish Gov that the proposed ban on the advertising of alcohol is already doing damage to the events industry.

Fringe Organisers, Glasgow‘s Hydro arena and Celtic Connections festival, the TRNSMT and Connect festivals, The Open golf championship and the Royal Highland Show are unified in their criticism of the SNP’s plans, and even the government’s own tourism agency ‘VisitScotland’ are calling for a rethink. Pressure on the government to change their plans – which were proposed with the aim of stopping the promoting of alcohol to young people and problem drinkers – is on the grounds of drinks brand’s backing being ‘instrumental’ to the industry’s success.

If drinks partnerships are vetoed, it could lead to the cancellation or relocation of many of Scotland’s festivals, and could result in the country losing out in bids to host huge one-off events.

Chair Peter Duthie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Event campus, drives home the financial impact this could have on the event sector,

“The millions of pounds of income received through partnership with the alcohol industry provides an established, significant and necessary commercial revenue stream for the event sector.”

“With public sector funding being reduced, the additional removal of a core commercial revenue stream, and no credible alternative, threatens the sector’s financial viability and the associated many benefits it delivers for Scotland.”

That’s a wrap for this week y’all

Catch you on the flip side for more events madness next week. See you then!