Insight: Issue 180 | Wed 14 August

Post Olympics blues are real…

and all we have are the memories – and this sensational gif of course

For this week’s events news round up, we have: Sacre Bleu! Au Revoir Olympics; A new podcast from Event Industry News, titled ‘the little things’; Lollapalooza main stage to be powered solely by hybrid battery system; and Exploring AI’s Impact on Events: A Comprehensive Guide for Event Organisers.

Sacre Bleu! Au Revoir Olympics

Well, it’s been a rollercoaster ride, but the Paris 2024 Olympics have finally come to an end….and what an end!

As the torch passed from The City of Light to the City of Angels, stars of sport, screen and music came together to close these unforgettable 33rd Olympic Games.

As part of the handover, Tom Cruise descended from the roof of Stade de France to collect the Olympic flag, and performances from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre on Venice Beach concluded the dazzling spectacle.

In his closing speech, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach reflected on a “sensational”  (or should that be Seine-sational?) Games.

“He added that they were “Olympic Games of a new era” as the first “delivered completely under our Olympic agenda reforms: younger, more urban, more inclusive, more sustainable and the first Olympic Games with full gender parity”.

Bravo and Vive La France!

Beyond The Event: little things that enhance the attendee experience

Event Industry News have released a brand new podcast to illuminate and inform Event Profs everywhere…

In this episode, Valentina Ruffoni, Founder of Beyond The Event, International Event Strategy, Production & Management, explores her pivot to community based events when the pandemic struck.

Other topics covered include:

 – The importance of knowing to say no for the right reasons in case sudden changes could break an event.

 – Valentina’s opinion on hybrid events and how best to approach them as two events in one

 – Turning regular events into experiences, often overlooked but the little things really take an event to the next level

Click the link for a listen….

Lollapalooza main stage to be powered solely by hybrid battery system

In another leap forward for sustainability in events, the organiser of Lollapalooza has revealed that this year’s main stage will be powered solely and completely on a hybrid battery system, including all audio, lighting, video and stage production.

In partnership with Live Nation’s sustainability initiative Green Nation, T-Mobile and CES Power, Lollapalooza will make history as the first major US festival to achieve this. The hybrid-powered stage will deploy more than 1.5 MWh of battery storage capacity, minimising the run time of biodiesel generators, providing significant fuel and emissions savings.

Lucy August-Perna, head of global sustainability at Live Nation, said: “Solutions like the ones Lollapalooza are pioneering not only contribute toward our global Green Nation goal of cutting our emissions in half by 2030, but they provide local benefits as well through reduced noise and air pollution which creates a better experience overall for the artists, fans and crew. We look forward to sharing the results and learnings from Lollapalooza with our network of more than 200+ festivals around the world who are committed to raising the bar for more sustainable live events.”

Exploring AI’s Impact on Events: A Comprehensive Guide for Event Organisers

In the last year, tech developments have rocketed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic in every industry, 40% of organisations will increase their investment in AI overall because of advances. As thousands of businesses integrate it into their ways of working, it’s inevitably going to roll into events in a big way.

In this article by Hire Space, they explore developments in AI, its potential impacts on future events, and look at ways that event profs can stay ahead of the curve.

And so, the end is near….

and now we face the final curtain….for this week at least. Until then, we’re jumping offski like a mad Tommy Cruise – catch you in a couple of weeks Event Profs!