Insight: Issue 148 | Wed 9 August

Non-Stop Newsy Goodness

They say good news travels fast – well here’s your one way ticket to the bullet train of all things events based newsery. Get on board.

So what’s the latest: Events Industry Alliance responds to Business and Trade Committee inquiry; RingCentral acquires Hopin products; BDC announces B Corp Certification, pledging to use business as a force for good; Objective advice for newbie event planners;  and tech events tout sustainability, need meaningful metrics.

Events Industry Alliance responds to Business and Trade Committee inquiry

The EIA has just handed in their two cent’s worth to the UK Gov’s Business and Trade Committee’s inquiry regarding export-led growth. The committee, a corralling of various MPs from different parties, is using the inquiry to gauge the feasibility of the UK hitting the Gov’s £1tn exports target by 2030. It also looks into the capitalising on the export potential of new tech and all important global supply chains.

The EIA’s response introduced the Business Events industry, a “British success story” that consistently knocks it out the park when it comes to boosting travel, tourism, and hospitality. It emphasised the sector’s contribution to growth by connecting investors, innovators, and global customers, while addressing challenges in garnering government recognition and support.

The EIA’s head honcho Chris Skeith said: “We were glad to have an opportunity to reiterate the importance of the industry to the Business and Trade Committee and emphasise the huge potential it has to contribute positively to the Government’s aim to reach £1tn worth of exports.”

RingCentral acquires Hopin products

RingCentral, Inc. (NYSE: RNG), wizzkids of the AI-driven cloud communication and video meetings biz, has nabbed key assets from Hopin, enhancing its video solutions for its customers.
The acquisition has landed them with goodies such as new tech assets, customer relationships and engineering, as well as the Hopin Events and Hopin Session.

What does RingCentral’s video suite currently include?

RingCentral Video – a cloud-based meetings solution.
RingCentral Rooms – a cloud-based video conference room solution.
RingCentral Webinar – a solution that allows customers to broadcast meetings to large audiences.

Vlad Shmunis, founder, and CEO of RingCentral, said: “We see an opportunity to redefine how video communication is experienced. This acquisition is a key next step in our journey to deliver more personalised and engaging video meetings and events for customers.

“We expect the technology and outstanding talent from Hopin will accelerate our ability to achieve these goals and help us differentiate our entire video portfolio.”

BDC announces B Corp Certification, pledging to use business as a force for good

Good news for The Business Design Centre (BDC) – it’s now a certified B Corp! Joining the ranks of over 7,135 global B Corp companies, the London venue prides itself on operating at the highest standard, intent on its mission in using the business as a force for good.

The sought after stamp of B Corp approval confirms business’s as top-tier performers, honouring them for their accountability and transparency across areas like employee benefits, charity, and the environment. Certification requires a painstaking evaluation of a company’s impact on workers, customers, communities, and the environment, meeting a set minimum score. And if that wasn’t enough, they also have a legal commitment to altering their governance to be accountable to all of its stakeholders.

Chief Exec of the BDC weighs in on the certification: “This is a huge milestone in the Company’s history. To be able to meet the rigorous standards set by the B Corp model show that we are moving along on exactly the right path when it comes to the way we take care of both our people and the planet.”

Objective advice for newbie event planners

Are you a newbie event planner looking for some top tips on tackling the business? Luckily, expert of the game, Julia Green (sales & commercial manager at Center Parcs’ Conferences and Events) is here with some bang-on words of wisdom.

Here’s a slightly abridged version of her handy how-to’s:

1 Location, location, location

When selecting a venue/location, it’s important to consider:

Is it well connected? How will people get there?
Does the venue/location meet the objectives of the event?
Is there flexible capacity to accommodate the number of people likely to attend?
Does it offer accommodation so delegates can stay for longer?

2 Does the venue meet the business’s ESG standards/policy?

Besides assessing event ROI, businesses should align venue choice with their ESG policies, like sustainability, aiming for compatibility and justification of spending – this is likely to go down well with the ‘powers that approve’.

3 Does your venue provide diverse and ethically responsible cuisine?

Choose an event venue with diverse, high-quality catering to accommodate dietary needs, aligning with ESG values by prioritising ethical, locally sourced, and fair-trade food and beverages.

4 The importance of budget adaptability

Event size matters: large galas or small meetings need adaptable budgets. Prioritise essentials, plan contingencies, and monitor attendance to manage costs effectively.

5 Does your venue create a truly memorable experience?

Look for venues providing adaptable settings for your event that offer attendees unique and enriching experiences, creating lasting memories and fostering connections.

 Tech events tout sustainability, need meaningful metrics

Fuelled by mounting regulations and stakeholder demands, sustainability efforts are picking up steam amongst tech vendors for event planning and operations. Underscoring this trend, there has been a pretty sizeable increase in publicly listed companies vying for all-out net zero – more than doubling from 417 to 929. Many vendors are now using tech events as opportunity to showcase their sustainability handiwork, reducing waste and minimising their carbon footprint. However, while some are demonstrably committed to these initiatives, there are those that are all talk and no walk, prompting analysts to scrutinise accurate measurement of actions like carbon offsetting and question potential discrepancies between messaging and impact.

Enterprise giants SAP have set their sights on net-zero target by 2030, reflecting its focus on sustainability seen in events like the annual Sapphire conference. Nicole Miller, senior programs director at SAP, affirms the integration of sustainability into their event approach.

“We committed to a few things that we’ve tried to standardise across our tier one events portfolio,”

“We aim to eliminate single-use plastics, reduce our carbon emissions and reduce energy consumption.”

And that’s all she wrote for this week.

We’ll catch you next week for more tantalising industry tell-alls.