Insight: Issue 52 (7th July)

Fair warning, we’ve gone a bit hybrid-mad in today’s insight. . .

*Deep breaths*…the UK and Ireland virtual event market is set to make a whopping $36 billion by 2027; Music Venue Trust says Venues Day is going hybrid this year; Birmingham’s Millennium Point is investing £350k in an auditorium upgrade to boost hybrid events; Glisser is hosting a hybrid event about hybrid events (no, really); Smart Meetings shares 5 lesser-known tips for powerful presentations; and the Edinburgh International Festival is cutting back on overseas performers to slash the event’s carbon footprint. Venues, take note!

UK virtual events worth $36bn by 2027

A report published by Allied Market Research shows that the UK and Ireland virtual event market was worth $3.14 billion in 2019, and is estimated to reach a whopping $36.18 billion by 2027.

Since the start of the pandemic, the rise in working from home – combined with the low operational costs associated with virtual events – has been driving the growth of the UK and Ireland virtual event market. A lack of awareness around technology is still said to be hindering further market growth (so says the report) but forthcoming tech advancements in the virtual event industry are expected to open up lucrative opportunities for market players in the future.

In other words, don’t throw away your virtual-event playbook just yet. (Or your mask, for that matter. Thanks, Boris!)

MVT’s Venues Day goes hybrid for 2021

Music Venue Trust (MVT) – which represents hundreds of grassroots music venues throughout the UK – has announced that its annual conference and networking event, which was postponed last year due to the pandemic, will go ahead in October. Hooray!

Even better, Venues Day will be a hybrid affair this year – with a full day of virtual activity following on from the in-person elements, ensuring every venue in the country will have access to best practice info and up-to-date advice as we emerge, bleary-eyed, from COVID restrictions. Beverley Whitrick, Strategic Director of MVT, commented:

‘Venues Day 2021 will further encourage collaboration and sharing, connecting venues across the world so they feel part of a growing movement, to emphasise how vital they are to both the wider music industry and local communities.’

Millennium Point invests £350k in hybrid

Millennium Point, Birmingham’s events and conference venue, has invested over £350k to upgrade its 354-seater auditorium and support the delivery of hybrid events. This investment includes the installation of a new 10m x 3m participant stage, beneath a 16m x 10m screen, with six trusses around the auditorium – not to mention, a whole host of sexy AV upgrades. Rebecca Delmore, Millennium Point’s Commercial Director, said: 

‘Without a doubt the events sector has transformed considerably over the past year, but alongside the challenges that have been faced there are huge opportunities to embrace new technologies and open up events to a much broader and more diverse audience, both on and off-site.’

That’s what we like to hear, Rebecca!

The hybrid event. . .about hybrid events 

In more hybrid news (you were warned) – virtual and hybrid event platform Glisser have announced plans for their first truly hybrid event: Hybrid Events Ignited. Taking place on 13 July in London, NYC, and online, the event will teach in-house corporate event planners on how to move beyond theory and finally put hybrid events into action.

Hybrid Events Ignited is aimed at anyone involved in event planning and delivery, marketing and sales, communications, and training and development. Topics will include: 

• the challenges of event design;
• supplier negotiations;
• software and hardware requirements;
• and speaker and attendee experiences.

If that sounds up your street – and why wouldn’t it? – you can register here.

Don’t be boring: 5 top presentation tips

All event profs know how hard it can be to captivate an audience, especially online. It’s our job to figure out the right tools and tricks to keep attendees riveted and ready for more. While there are plenty of obvious presentation tips out there, Smart Meetings has dug a little deeper to dish up 5 lesser-known tricks for crafting engaging presentations – whether that’s a TED-style keynote speech, or an elevator pitch at a cocktail party:

1. Headlining: add value in fewer words. Get to the point with short and snappy headlines at key places in your presentation, allowing your audience to scan your content.
2. Hyper empathy: make everything about them. People care more about what you’re saying when it’s about them. So, pro tip: use personal pronouns (you/your) to tailor your content to your audience.
3. Process: your presentation seals the deal. While you’re being extra empathetic, make sure to give your audience something of real value in the slides – an insight, a resource, or a process.
4. Navigation: teach them how to learn. This can be as simple as a slide that says ‘Here’s how to get the most out of today’s presentation’. Make it as easy for people as possible.
5. Co-creation: we activate what we generate. By this we mean, get your audience involved. Soft interactivity – like interactive polling – is an easy win for virtual events. 

And if you only take away one thing from this article, it should be this: don’t be boring.

EIF to be ‘net zero’ by 2045

Last up for today, some good news for the planet – the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) has set a series of targets for reducing its environmental impact, aiming to cut the event’s carbon footprint by 70% by 2030.

The event’s leaders have vowed to reduce travel emissions from visiting performers and companies by 25% from pre-pandemic levels when it returns in full next year. They’re also committing to further cuts of 10% each subsequent year, paving the way for the festival to become a completely ‘net zero’ event by 2045.

Good on you, EIF! <3