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Well, Christmas is just around the corner and we don’t know about you, but we could certainly do with some time to recharge the batteries ahead of the events industry’s major comeback in 2021. Here are the main headlines from November.
We presented at VEI Summit
Back in October, EventsCase announced the forming of our special partnership with the Virtual Event Institute (VEI) – an organisation designed to educate, inspire and support its members in their hosting of virtual and hybrid events.
One of our first acts as an official partner was to present at its November ‘Summit’ on ‘The Future of Events’. Watched by over 1,000 virtual attendees, Jose, our CEO and Co-Founder, joined a panel of experts to discuss their predictions for the industry in 2021. Whether you agree or disagree, they certainly throw up some interesting points of conversation:
- The events industry will be redefined by the growing online movement
- Virtual will go mainstream in the marketing mix
- Organisers will realise the importance of audience-first thinking
- Event technologies will become more sophisticated
- In-person events will return in Q3
- Audiences will be less forgiving of poor experiences
- In-person budgets will decrease as virtual and hybrid command more spend
- Mergers, acquisitions and partnerships will increase
- Effective change leadership will make or break businesses
We advised on cyber crime protocols for virtual and hybrid events
“Attacks on virtual and hybrid events are extremely easy to carry out, even without technical knowledge. It is scary to think anyone could do it with a minimum amount of training and practice.”
Those are the words of Ivan, our CTO and co-founder, who also helped the VEI produce a detailed overview of the security risks attached to bringing more attendee data online. With lots of advice on common attacks and preventative measures, you can view the VEI’s latest blog here.
Smart Venues 2.0 + Site Selection + Tech Trends
Given our commitment to innovation and progressive thinking, we are very proud to have collaborated with the University of Westminster as part of the latest Learning Bridges event.
For those that don’t know, Learning Bridges is an initiative created by universities in the United Kingdom to share knowledge between their institutions and the events industry.
On November 30, a virtual panel featuring representatives from ExCeL London, the International Association of Convention Centres and Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre discussed the definition and growth of smart venues on top of many challenges facing the events industry.
The event also featured two quick-fire sessions involving Emma Nolan from the University of Chichester and Adam Parry from Event Industry News, exploring a new methodology in site selection and event tech trends respectively.
Given the event’s focus on tech-led enhancements, coupled with its general significance for event pros, it was a pleasure to fulfill its requirement for a cutting-edge platform and digital experience.
Tech updates: Live Interaction Module, new messaging area…
We’re starting to really get the pistons going with our virtual event solution, bringing more enhancements to see out a productive year. Our new features for November include:
- Live interaction module: Enhance your virtual event content and drive attendee engagement with live chat, polls and Q&As. We’ll be adding lots of new features to our in-house interaction module over the coming weeks, so be sure to keep an eye out for those.
- Messaging area: We’ve made it easier for attendees to view all of their chats by putting their open conversations in a centralised area. It’s a small tweak but one that should help them to build and maintain relationships during your event.
- Report on virtual meetings: Have a thirst for data? Pull in-depth reports that show all of the meetings that have taken place on your event platform over a given period. As data becomes all the more crucial for proving your worth as a connection builder, we’re glad to lend a helping hand.
We’re taking Christmas bookings…
As you might have gathered, Christmas will be very different this year as we continue to follow our governments’ rules on distance and gatherings.
While the usual office party will have to wait until at least 2021, we certainly won’t be abandoning our plans for a digital send off to the year – and neither should you.
If you need a hand with organising something special for your employees and clients, get in touch with EventsCase today. Our latest blog is full of ideas for a virtual gathering and we’ve plenty of other recommendations for spreading the festive cheer.
