Insight: Issue 58 (18th August)

Hoots-a-plenty as the Fringe Returns!

This week’s smorgasbord of all things events is bound to warm the cockles of any hardened Event Prof heart. Coming up, we have; The Edinburgh Fringe Festival finally returns; Elon Musk sends ads into space (yep, you read that correctly); the future is hybrid, says Edinburgh Book Festival Chief (and us); essential actions for better sustainability in the events sector; and an insight into the world of a global business during a global pandemic – Panasonic’s VP of marketing talks to Event Marketer. Strap yourselves in peeps…..

It’s back – at last!

Yes indeed, we are tickled pink to see the return of the daddy of all events….ladies and gents, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is back with a bang!

Social distancing measures will differ from venue to venue, with some events keen to increase capacity but still provide some form of distancing for customers who wish to do so. Alex Petty, director of the Laughing Horse Free Festival sums this year’s ethos up nicely, by saying “The priority is to keep people safe and feeling comfortable rather than ‘packing them in’.

The 2021 Fringe is bound to be a truly joyous occasion, packed full of awe-inspiring and amazing individuals. And after the 18 months we’ve all had, a little bit of fun and laughter will be just the ticket. Speaking of tickets, get yours here.

Space ads by Elon Musk

Mad Musky is at it again, this time with a proposed ad display screen in space (say whaaaat?!). The display, which will hitch a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2022 will not be viewable from Earth, but images will be captured using a ‘selfie stick’ and transmitted for use on streaming platforms. Ad space will be purchased using cryptocurrency such as Ethereum and potentially Dogecoin.

This obviously gives companies the perfect opportunity to advertise products and services to a highly niche audience. Hybrid Events in space anybody? Now, where did we leave our Ethereum piggy bank…..

Hybrid is the future, says Edinburgh Book Festival Chief

In a statement straight out of the Cameron playbook, the director of Scotland’s biggest literary event has urged Edinburgh to become the world’s leading “hybrid festival city” as final preparations were made for a radical overhaul of the long-running event.

Nick Barley, indicated the global broadcasting of signature cultural events would reduce carbon footprints and tackle concerns of city ‘festivalisation’. However, he also suggested equal priority should be given to audiences attending in person, ensuring popularity in Edinburgh. Of course, this leads us nicely to Cameron’s recently written e-book, ‘The Future Is Hybrid’. 

*Gratuitous plug incoming* – if, like Nick Barley (and us), you agree that the future of events is hybrid, give our e-book a read and get in touch with our hybrid maestros at Cameron.

Sustainability in the Events Sector

With COP26 fast approaching and the future of our planet a global priority, sustainability is a key buzzword. Virtual Events are now ubiquitous in our industry, contributing to a far lower carbon footprint for the event sector as a whole. But what more can we do collectively to make better sustainability decisions?

EventDecision’s Matt grey outlines some actions he feels are essential and how events in particular can contribute to the improved wellbeing of the planet.

Panasonic on the Pandemic

Every business, large or small, will have their own story on how the Global Pandemic has affected them. In this fascinating article from Event Marketer, Brian Rowley, Panasonic’s VP of Marketing, chats about the challenges of the past past year and a half, what their key learnings were and how their B2B business pivoted and adapted to a Covid world.

That’s all for this week folks – catch y’all on the flipside!