Insight: Issue 79 (16 Feb)

Howdy friends!

It’s that time of the week again where we all buckle up for another heavy dose of events based news, but before that, here’s a clip of the Superbowl LVI halftime show….why you ask? 7.5 minutes to set up, 7 minutes to breakdown. WOW.

The show itself? Makes you proud to be a child of the 90s. Anyway, onward we go – this week: BVEP confirm the restart of its events industry apprenticeship scheme; Virtual Events platform Hopin cut 12% of their staff; A Greener Festival dish out their annual awards; Virtual Events continue to thrive post-Covid; and a sneaky peek at a few of the dazzling entries to the Sony World Photography Awards 2022. Gin and juice at the ready, let’s get cracking.

You have been well-trained, my young apprentice…

Great news for aspiring event profs everywhere, as the Business Visits and Events partnership (BVEP) has confirmed the restart of its events industry apprenticeship scheme.

The importance of apprenticeships in vast and diverse industries such as ours has never been more pertinent – learning on the job provides many with the ideal pathway for a career in the events industry, particularly for those who may not be able to afford a university education.

Caroline Jackson, BVEP Skills, Talent & Diversity Working Group chair, said,”Picking up and bringing together those offering event apprenticeships is safeguarding one route into the industry. It is anticipated that many businesses will also step forward to work with us on this, especially in offering event apprenticeships since the KickStart scheme has come to an end.”

Virtual Event Platform Hopin cut 12% of staff

In some not-so-great news, Hopin have reported to have cut 138 full time employees, the equivalent of 12% of their workforce.

Following rapid growth during the pandemic, it seems that a reconfiguration is required to adapt to the post-Covid market.

A Hopin spokesperson said: “Following unprecedented growth and several acquisitions, we are reorganising to align with our goals for greater efficiency and sustainable growth. It’s not easy to part ways with teammates, and we’re deeply grateful for the impact they’ve had while at Hopin.”

As a trusted Cameron partner, we’re obviously deeply sorry to hear news of Hopin’s layoffs. However, we’re also encouraged to hear Hopin are being pro-active in helping ex-employees get back on the ladder, with 3 months compensation, health benefits, their work laptops and also the use of RiseSmart – a prominent US recruitment agency. Fingers crossed they’re all back in work soon.

Green is go for Festivals

The not for profit organisation ‘A Greener Festival’ (AGF) has revealed the results of their industry leading green event certification for 2021, which highlights festivals and events striving to reduce waste and emissions.

The AGF Awards is a pioneering certification setting the standard for sustainable events. Notable amongst those who made the grade:

Paradise City (Belgium)
“Outstanding” A Greener Festival Award 2021

elrow Town (Netherlands)
“Highly Commended” A Greener Festival Award 2021

Lost Village (UK)
“Improvers” A Greener Festival Award 2021

AGF CO Claire O’Neill said, “We’re impressed by these events that not only took place in 2021, which was a feat in itself, but also maintained and developed their actions to reduce negative environmental impacts and enhance positive community impacts. We’re happy to be able to award this certification. Record numbers of events worldwide have applied for AGF certification in 2022. This shows the appetite and need for genuine action for sustainability, and the expectation from audiences and local authorities alike for events to prove their minimum environmental standards.”

Virtual Events continue to thrive

Seen by many as a temporary fix during the global pandemic, Virtual Events have become an essential part of our working lives. From Zoom calls to full multi-day virtual conferences (many hosted by our good selves), virtual events have introduced an invaluable touchpoint for many to build relationships and share information.

Howard Salinger, MD of Travel Connection Group believes Virtual Events are here to stay, especially in the travel industry where new products can now be introduced virtually to a large group of agents live on location.

Howard elaborates,” People got tired of virtual events early in the pandemic because the content they were offered wasn’t interesting. The content offered now is engaging, valuable and sought after for agents and extremely cost effective for clients – a win-win all round. The possibilities online are endless. Zoom fatigue does not exist.”

And finally….Smile for the camera

Nothing inspires or ignites the imagination more than stunning photography – this year’s Sony Photography Awards showcases 170,000 images from 211 countries, and gives us a unique insight into different cultures and perspectives from around the globe.

From breath-taking shots of nature to stark urban landscapes, our friends at Creative Boom have collated some of the best entries, a few of which we’ve shared below for your enjoyment:

Truly inspiring innit? Makes you want to dust off the ol’ Kodak Fun Camera and get out there…….

Happy snapping y’all!