How is our industry moving forwards?

How is our industry moving forwards?

With the business events industry starting to reopen in many countries, and the rest of the world lobbying to be able to meet again soon, several new projects are being launched or underway, aimed at supporting the industry through recovery and beyond.

Here are a few initiatives that have caught our eye:

AEO Project Confidence. This cross association project was created by AEO (Association of Exhibition Organisers) to ‘formulate and implement consistent, timely and relevant communications across the three sides of the events industry – event organisers, venues and suppliers – to inform and engage stakeholders on our work to facilitate the safe resurgence of events, at the earliest opportunity’.

IBTM Connect has launched it’s new campaign #MeetMore. This campaign aims to encourage the events industry to consider the value of meetings, beyond simply shaking hands with someone, and how they can provide a backbone to the economic recovery of the industry and the world. Business events are how we fight back.

JMIC Manifesto for Economic Recovery Using Business Events. JMIC and The Iceberg have partnered with IBTM, AIME, IMEX and Meetings Africa to deliver a webinar that combines more than 25 industry perspectives from around the globe. It also includes an insightful conversation with renowned global cities authority Professor Greg Clark, who discussed the factors that are most likely to emerge as industry drivers and competitive issues in a post-COVID-19 world.

The MIA (Meetings Industry Association) has created a ‘guide to recovery’. Based on extensive national and international research, MIA has developed this roadmap to assist venues to reopen and operate safely, as well as provide crucial reassurance to help encourage future trade, supporting venues as they re-open and recover.

Hybrid Event Centre has been created to supply all the skills event planners need to produce outstanding hybrid events. The blog is an invaluable resource, dedicated to sharing the best and latest thinking on events with a virtual audience.

Reed Exhibitions is about to unveil the findings of its global study to provide a consistent, timely view on an evolving situation. The company’s Customer Sentiment and Behaviour Barometer is tracking both visitor and exhibitor sentiment towards a number of subjects: personal feelings towards COVID-19, the impact of COVID-19 on business, the impact of COVID-19 on trade shows and a virtual tools spotlight.

Plasa has launched #WeMakeEvents Red Alert to raise awareness that the events industry exists and of the UK’s 1,000,000 highly skilled industry professionals who have had no work for the past four months. The aim of the campaign is to request meaningful support from the Government until the industry is allowed to operate in a way that is not limited by social distancing policies. More than 300 venues across the country turned their lights red to highlight the crisis facing the live events industry on 11 August.

Given its global size and scope, our industry will continue to play an essential role on driving economic recovery and IBTM is absolutely committed to supporting this, so please share any similar projects you’ve come across with us on social media using #MeetMore!


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Find more content like this on our virtual resource hub, IBTM Connect.

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